La Fille Légère et Le Garçon Sombre
by La Zatara Femme
Summary: A slightly more realistic Zatara, darker, angstier, and sure to satisfy all your pentup dark Zatara thoughts. Imagine a story where Zuko didn't fall in love with Katara so easily... even though she does. Or vise versa.
1. L'introduction

Bonjour!  
Well I**_ love_** the show avatar, and I decided to write this because:  
a) I think Prince Zuko is such a fascinating character, that he deserves justice of not falling in love with Katara so easily, if he ever does at all. I am not the best writer out there, I only hope I can stay close to his character and make him acquiring attraction to Katara look realistic, and slightly possible. It's my goal. ) Like, he is full of bad past, and mixed up emotions, and I think a slightly more sinful and _less_ fluffy romantic Zatara can be born.  
Becauseb) I am fascinated by the idea of Katara and Zuko. When you open your mind to think about it, it really would be a bad boy good girl thing, and it is possible. It just wouldn't be as happy peppy go lucky as people think it would be. It definitely wouldn't be. So this may not be entirely clean, it might even be a little... what's the word. Not naughty. More like dark. And/or sinful. But not in a gross sexual way.  
If that makes sense... which I hope it does, because if you're looking for romantic fluff, go read another fic.  
That's not to say this one won't be romantic... because it will. grin  
Oh, and do not waste time flaming me, because you will just be ignored and you'll have wasted your time.

So the first chapter will be slightly shorter than the rest to come. Because it's just an introductory chapter. Bear with me, please :-)

And I know you hear thisALL the time, but review feeds my writing. If no one's reading it or liking it, I might as well not bother. :-(  
So for future reference, my name is Gallie, and I 3 the show Avatar beyond believe. I hope you enjoy my fanfiction.

* * *

He took a breath and concentrated on what was in front of him. 

Bend back… step forward…

A jet of fire shot out of his hand and heated the air in front of him as it erupted all around.

Focus… release pent-up anger into the fire. He felt it seep from his fingers as he practiced another move in the art of fire-bending and carried it out perfectly.  
Sixteen years old, and he had already learned moves that some generals couldn't achieve.  
It was part of him to have determination. It _was_ him.

Determination. Honor.

He only had one of those two things, and it killed him every day to think about it.  
How could something he already had, be stripped away from him so quickly?  
He had it. He had honor at one point in time. His life was honorable, and there had been a future for him.  
His father still owned him then.  
Still considered him his son. Even though it was a formal relationship, there was still a fragment of one.  
But now he was disowned, and ashamed to be called a Prince.

He was _dishonorable_.

These thoughts drove Prince Zuko every day to keep living.  
Honor, and the regaining of it was why he lived nowadays. He couldn't go back to his normal life until he was once again the respectable Prince he had been.  
He was still a Prince, but an abandoned one. He was looked down upon by the elders of the council, and everyone in the Fire-bending nation, because of what his father had made him out to me.

What had become of him?

His golden eyes narrowed darkly. He used the anger from his bad past to practice bending.  
With a quick inhale, he lifted his arm, stepped forward into a position, and breathed out, feeling the heat escape his mouth.  
Fire-bending was an interesting practice. Probably the most interesting of the four elements. It allows the bender to release pent-up stress through the heat they use in fire.  
One needs anger and stress to bend fire… it was that simple.  
This was why Prince Zuko was such an excellent fire-bender. He may have had enough on his mind to defeat an entire army.  
Thoughts about his father, himself, and the people around him swarmed his thoughts, moving him to more and more anger.  
The more angry he got, the more heat built up. The more heat built up, the more anger he created. They fed each other.

Left, right, forward, breathe. He continued shooting balls of the element around him in precise, talented areas.  
When he had finished, he bent over, breathing heavily. Smoke drifted from his mouth as he stared solidly at the ground beneath him.

Determination was essential.

* * *

"Zuko! You must try this new noodle dish the cook made especially for me," Came the voice of an older man when Prince Zuko entered his bedroom. 

"He says it is supposed to make you wiser if you eat it with soy sauce. I could never have imagined a noodle could make one wiser!"

Prince Zuko ignored his Uncle Iroh, and walked straight past him to the bed. It was a small bedroom, but they were on a boat, and space was limited. Small sacrifices for something as large as regaining honor.

Prince Zuko removed his tunic and set it on the desk. He didn't have the time for his Uncle's foolish findings.

"Goodnight Uncle." Were the only words he said as got into bed, and turned on his side. For a countless time he would try and fall asleep, but he didn't know why he bothered anymore.

Ever since he was fourteen, it was near impossible to get rest. Physically, or mentally.

And even when he did fall asleep, his mind was penetrated with nightmares horrible enough to frighten anyone of any age.

Nevertheless, he shut his eyes and lay there, until he heard his uncle leave the room.

* * *

"APPA! You can get your _own_ food to eat, you… you…"  
Sokka was struggling not to lose his temper. The giant flying bison had swallowed his entire portion of fish that he himself had cooked and seasoned.  
"Why did you do that? The food that originally would've filled my _entire_ stomach, wasn't even enough to come close to making you full! You wasted the whole thing!"  
He chewed his lip moodily, arms folded. He needed someone to take a pot shot at.  
"Aang – why don't you tell Appa to leave my food alone. Maybe he'll listen to you."  
The young avatar stopped in mid-air. Literally, for he had been spinning around on top of one of his air balls. "Why?"  
"Because," Sokka said with the face of being indignant, "I was hungry, and now my food is gone."  
"I'm sorry your food is gone Sokka," Aang said, shrugging and looking mild. "But Appa is a big animal, so he needs food. He's got seven stomachs!"  
"Who has seven stomachs?"  
Katara walked into the encampment the three had built, to where Aang and Sokka stood. She was carrying clean clothing that had been washed down by a stream they'd been lucky enough to find.  
"Appa." Said Aang. He grinned at Katara, and went back to spinning around on his air circle.  
Katara took a look at her brother. "Oh calm down."  
"I can't! I spent all that time making everyone a meal, and now my portion is gone!" Sokka said, folding his arms and sitting on a rock.  
"You can have mine," Said Katara. She put the clothes down. "Aang, I have to talk to you about something."  
"Okay," The boy replied, while Sokka gobbled down the fish in the background. "What about?"  
"Well," Katara began, watching the avatar zoom around. "About the route we're taking to the north pole."  
"What about it?"  
"I think we should change courses."  
Aang stopped and jumped off the air into a standing position. "Why?"  
Katara's soft blue eyes followed a dust speck as it drifted up a ray of sunlight and disappeared into the shaded part of the forest. "I think the route we're taking makes it too easy for the fire nation, particularly Prince Zuko, to follow us. I just have this feeling that they're getting closer than we think they are."  
Aang had known Katara for good while now, so it was obvious he trusted her judgment enough to agree with her. "Okay, Katara, if you think so."  
Katara smiled. "Alright, then we should take a more west way, into thicker parts of the forest. It'll be difficult to make camp, but we can do it."  
"I'll let Appa know." Aang replied. Momo jumped on his shoulder and let out a chirping noise to inform him he was hungry.  
"Sokka," Katara said, knowing she was asking for it, but deciding upon it anyways. "Can you give Momo a bit of food? He looks like he wants some."  
Sokka stopped mid-mouthful and turned his head slowly to look at the animal. "Dho I hahf to?"  
His sister stared at him, so he grudgingly shared a bit.

* * *


	2. Le Premier Chapitre

Zakura1

Okay, it totally messed up my out of story introduction last time because I put a bunch of weird symbols and stuff, and it made them disappear. So this time it's just words. :-)  
Now it's time for chapter one, definitely longer than the introductory chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

It was morning at the encampment of the three friends, the type of morning that made you want to stay asleep, under and sort of covers you had, and soak in the little warmth. 

But that wasn't a luxury they were allowed this time. Not this morning.

"Aang, can you grab those two pots over there?" Katara called as she frantically untied a rope that bound one end of their tent up. Light soot had been falling for the past ten minutes.

It was nothing compared to the soot that fell when her and her brothers' village had been burned down, but the little flecks every now and then let them know that the fire nation was hot on their trail, and it was time to move.

"Sokka, pack up the tent." She ordered once she had finished with the knot.  
Sokka almost retorted, but decided against it. Now was not the time. Normally his sisters' bossy command would have irritated him, but there was a time to whine, and a time to be serious. Just because he did one more often than the other, didn't mean he wasn't _capable_ of doing the second.

"Okay let's go."

Momo jumped onto Aang's shoulder and gave a strange chirruping noise. Sokka, Aang, and Katara each climbed onto Appa and the giant bison set off into the air after a "yip yip" from the avatar.

"That was close." Aang breathed. He fell down and let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't relax yet," Katara warned. "Just because we got out of there doesn't mean we're safe. They could still catch up with us soon."

"I know." The young boy shifted his weight, making sure not to squash Momo, who was still on his shoulder.

"So were either of you considering breakfast this morning?" Sokka grunted, in front and holding the reigns to Appa. "Because it is very early, and we just rushed out of there…"

"I don't think there's any time for food," Said his sister. "We have to keep going to avoid the fire nation."

Sokka gave a small whine of sorts. Katara and Aang ignored him, and proceeded to play a game of menko together to pass the time.

* * *

"I thought I said there was to be no fried rice on this ship!" 

A sharp voice reverberated through the kitchen walls and the three men standing side by side cringed all at once.

"Apologies, Prince Zuko, we thought it would be acceptable since it was flavored with ginseng, instead of soy sauce."

"I don't care _what_ it's cooked in - if it's fried, then that makes it _fried rice_! You three will report to my office directly after the men on board eat. I will not be doing so this morning."

The sixteen year-old prince turned, his hands clenched into fists, and stalked out of the kitchen to the higher deck of the ship.

The main cook stared at the doorway, looking confused. They would allow the men to eat the rice, and never cook it again… but no one had any idea why fried rice could irritate Prince Zuko so much. He was a mystery unto himself.

Back in his cabin, Prince Zuko pressed his fist to his forehead. The stupid cooks… they knew full well he had banned fried rice. They should not question him, or find loopholes in his orders. He had his own reasons.

A slightly blurry picture of a young boy eating fried rice at a table with his family floated past his eyes, which were closed so tight it made colors swirl in the darkness.

The little boy laughed at something his mother said, and the father had his arm around her.

"Prince Zuko, the men are ready to begin the journey update this morning, if it pleases you, sir."

He stood up that very moment and stared at the door solidly. "Yes," He said, opening it. "I am ready for them; we will reconvene in the meeting room right now."

"All I'm saying is we should send a scout party to the inland road and have them trace the avatar, if he is indeed in there. That's what our reports are saying."

"But the problem is we're not entirely sure _where_ the avatar is inland, so we might be sending a scouting troop out in vain."

"I agree with Captain Haru, it might be a waste."

"What is there to waste? They will catch up with us by the time we get to Berok City, and it will have not been in vain."

"Then if we find the avatar while the troop is gone, we will be twenty men short."

"It is simply twenty men. They are not relevant to catching the avatar. He is a child."

"He is not to be underestimated." Prince Zuko said, his undertoned voice bringing the arguing chiefs and captains' focus to the center of the table.

"He may appear young, but he has the power of all the previous avatars, and is a powerful bender. Even if he is a mere child… we _cannot_ underestimate him. He has certainly found out that we are close to him and is probably now fleeing. We must never lose our drive and slack off. I would expect nothing less from my highest of positions on this boat. We will continue to pursue him, and we will still send out a smaller troop. However, not twenty, but ten."

There was silence. Many of the men sitting at the table disagreed with Prince Zuko on many things, they thought him barely old enough or mature enough in military decisions to take charge of a small fleet, and they thought there could be many better suited men of rank to replace him.

But since he was a Prince, he received… special privileges.

"Yes Prince Zuko." They murmured their compliance.

"Good. Then I will choose the nine other men to accompany me in the troop this afternoon, and we will leave by dusk. Haru, alert the captain of the ship to change its course toward land so it can allow my team to exit the ship and continue on foot through the forest."

The men's attitudes brightened slightly. The Prince was getting off the boat; this was good. No longer would they be under his adolescent reign.

"You are dismissed, gentleman." Zuko got up and left the room.

The men all exchanged glances. With him gone, away off the boat, they would be free to command as they wanted. No more listening to sixteen year-olds.

Who knew, maybe he would die on his little side excursion to catch up with the avatar faster.

Perhaps eaten by a wild bear, or killed in a tragic hunting accident. Maybe even tumble off a waterfall.

* * *

"Aang, I think we've gone far enough." Katara said to him, as Sokka yawned in the front. 

"We can go back down to the ground now, we've gotten far enough ahead."

"Are you sure?' Aang asked, the air circle he had been playing with in his hands vanishing.

Katara smiled. "Yes. Sokka take Appa down, I think we're all tired of being up here, especially when it's so cold."

She didn't know why, but the weather had been very bitter lately. It nipped at their noses all afternoon. She wouldn't have been surprised to see snow eventually, even though there still hadn't been any.

That didn't stop the frost from coming though. One time, Sokka had woken up and his ponytail had been frozen to the bark of a tree.

It had been funny to watch Aang use his weak, inexperienced firebending skills to try and get it off. And when he almost set fire to Sokka's hair, he settled for chipping it off with a knife.

Sokka had complained the rest of the day about the drips of ice water that slid down his back every ten minutes.

Katara smiled again, this time to herself, and she made sure not to mention it to either of the boys. According to her brother it never happened.

"Ahh, nice to stretch your legs for a bit." Said Sokka, bending his back so far that he looked like an upside down L. It gave a tiny crick sound.

"I wonder if there are any towns close." Katara wondered aloud. "Our food supplies are running a little low.

"Well, maybe we can keep going and find out." Sokka yawned, nodding his head towards the north east through the forest. "Let's go. Appa, fly overhead of us. Yip yip."

They walked for another hour or so, stopping every now and then so Aang could admire a butterfly, or so Sokka could eat a mushroom. Katara mainly kept quiet and enjoyed the nature around her. It was beautiful to travel through forests. It gave her time to think, and enjoy just being alive. Her thoughts drifted a lot to her mother, and her grandmother, and her missing family. How much she missed them and her family.

Then she focused on the two boys in front of her and thought about her new family. Her current family.

The one she had been given in life for the moment. There was no use in arguing about it, so her 'glass-was-half-full' mindset kept Katara the way she was.

"I see the town! We don't know what it's called." Aang stated after he had jumped up and shouted. "Are we sure it's safe to go in?"

"Well we don't really have much of a choice, do we," said Sokka, who had finished his last mushroom and still had a stomachache from lack of food.

"I guess you're right." Aang replied. "Well let's try and stay together."

When they reached the city walls they were stopped by two guards standing at the giant wooden gates.

"By the orders of Governor Lopa, all incomers are to be questioned and held from entering the city if they appear to be suspicious or give off the impression of holding intentions of performing mischief in the town."

"If I may ask," Katara said, making sure to keep her voice polite. They needed to get in the gates for food. "What is the name of the town?"

The guard's eyes dragged themselves over Katara's body, then he looked back at the three of them as a group.

"This is the town of Ichinomiya."

"Ichi-no-whatsit?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well however difficult the name is to pronounce, we have to get in there."

Katara smacked her hand to her forehead. This was no time for Sokka's stomach to take control of him.

"Are you challenging me, troublemaker?" The guard growled, taking a step forward. Aang looked uneasily at his long, threatening looking weapon, and gulped.

"What he means is," Katara said quickly, stepping in front of her brother. "Troublemakers? Do we look like troublemakers to you, sir?"

The guard stared at them with a look that most blatantly said 'yes'.

"We only come in for food, sir, and if you catch us in any trouble, by all means you can arrest us and put us in prison."  
Aang made a choking sound beside her.

She smiled sweetly at the guards, who continued to stare suspiciously, but opened the gates for them to pass.

"Phew," Sokka said once they had walked in. "I thought those fatheaded scumbags would never let us in."

Unfortunately, they had not been far enough for the guards not to hear his remark, and before they knew it, the three of them were running down the dusty streets to avoid the guards, who were chasing them angrily.

"Why did you HAVE to say that!" Katara yelled at Sokka as they sped down a right, and then a left.

"I thought they couldn't hear me!" He retorted. "We had been far enough away!"  
"Apparently _not_!"

"We just have to hurry!" Aang interrupted; he kept blowing wind down the path behind them to distract the guards, who had a temper just as fiery as ever and were not letting up.  
He looked behind his shoulder and his eyes widened. "Guys! Bad news – THEY'RE FIREBENDERS!"

Katara's breath caught in her throat. That was bad. Worse than just a couple of angry guards, but two angry firebenders chasing the avatar and his friends was the worst news they could've come across in this town.

They came skidding up to a three way street and stopped. With a glance behind themselves, all three of them said, "This way!" and each ran a completely different path.

"Hurry!" Katara called as she sprinted into a shop, but suddenly she realized there was no breathing behind her. They were gone!  
"Oh no…" She moaned. This was just perfect. Here she was stuck in a clothing shop while her brother and the avatar ran around town trying to hide from firebenders. She hid behind some earthbender robes and tried to calm herself.

"Katara? Sokka?" Aang said confusedly once he had realized he was alone. He too had jumped into a shop and was now hiding behind a dresser full of toys. "How am I going to find them?"

Sokka panted himself to a tiny market stall full of raw fish. His mouth watered as he ducked behind it, avoiding the guards, but also drooling at the food as he did so.

"Are you looking for something?" The elderly woman tending the fish stall asked.

She had solid silver hair pulled into a tight bun, gleaming blue eyes, and clothing on to match the color of her eyes.

Sokka noted that she almost looked like a fish herself.

"Oh, no," Sokka said, stretching himself up. "Just, you know, looking for some fish to eat." He checked to see if the guards were near – they weren't.

There was a pause.

"Well are you going to buy some, or waste my air? The fish is for sale you know."

"Eh, there's a little problem with that," He replied. "I kind of… don't really have any money. I would pay you back!" He added hastily as the woman raised her eyebrow. "My sister has the money she's just off trying to find our friend Aang. We got separated."

"Oh that's sad." She said, tone suggesting she didn't think it was sad at all. "But I have news for you buster, people in this town work for their food! If you want some of my fish you have to earn it!"

"How!" Sokka asked incredulously. "What do you want me to do?"  
A smelly rag hit him in the face. "You can start by gutting these trout."

* * *

Jopo grunted. It was about time someone came into his shop. As if weapons and dynamite weren't important to people in Ichinomiya. 

All the same. He would make sure the people buying whatever he sold were responsible enough looking to handle his goods.

Unless they had a decent amount of money that would sway his judgment a tad.

"Can I help you sir," He called to the stranger in red and black armor that had walked in.

His eyes were still glued to the paper down in front of him, but he could tell this person meant business.

Most of the time he got dilly-dalliers, or pesky kids who had no intention of buying weapons whatsoever, they just wanted to look at the cool blades and dangerous things.

"Yes. I am looking for dynamite, and nets. Do you have either of those things in stock?"  
The voice Jopo heard was low, slightly raspy, and serious. It also had a trace of youth in it.

The storekeeper was very perceptive, and wise. He'd learned to be so over the years. Unlike young ones, who always thought they knew better when they never did.

"I have both of those things. How many of each are you interested in?" He finally looked up to see the boy standing in front of him. And yes, a boy.

A _child_… no older than sixteen. He was darkly featured, with his brown hair pulled back in a red ribbon, and a large scar painted across his left eye. It covered most of his face.

Jopo wondered whether he'd gotten the scar from dealing with dynamite, or explosives before. The old earthbender had never seen such a scar.

"Are you sure you want to buy some more? Looks like you've already had some bad experiences with things that have to do with fire."

An ugly look slid onto the boys face. He looked up at Jopo, his eyes narrowed. "Firstly, my own experiences are none of your business. You should not speak of things you know nothing of."

He took a step closer towards the counter.

"Secondly, I know what I'm doing, and it's the right of the customer to make their own decisions."

"And it is also the right of the owner to refuse service to pesky customers." Jopo said simply.

"Pesky?" The boy said, his voice raised. "I am a prince!"

"Then you are a pesky prince."

"Thirdly," The prince continued coldly. "There is nothing wrong with fire."

"Agreed. In the right hands, there is nothing wrong with fire. Now run along…"

The boys' nostrils flared. "I came here to purchase something."

Jopo would not be spoken to this way from someone under a fourth of his age.

"And you did not. Now you have the right to leave. Get out of my shop."

* * *

"I just gutted this one!" 

"You didn't do it right!"

"How did I not do it right? Its guts are _gone_!"

"You took too much meat off with it. Look at all that waste. You wasted all that money! _My_ money!"  
"But _you're_ not even paying me!"

"I was with food! But I suppose someone is now going to go hungry!"  
Sokka let out a frustrated groan and threw the fish guts into the waste basket.

"Sokka! There you are!" Aang's voice drifted towards the teenage boy.  
"Aang! Is Katara with you?"

"No… I don't know where she is."

"Is your friend here to work as well?" The lady crooned, folding her arms.  
"No he isn't, I wouldn't encourage him too. But Aang," he said, turning back to his friend. "We have to find Katara. She has all our money."

Aang frowned. "That's not the only reason we have to find he-"

"Yes I know, I know," Sokka interrupted.

Suddenly, a large cloud of fire and smoke exploded above a shop around fifty yards away. People screamed and ran away, but Aang and Sokka looked up, startled.

"What was _that_?"

"Someone with a temper entered Jopo's weapon shop."

"His weapon –" Sokka began.

"Wait… how would you know that?" Aang asked her.

She simply smiled mysteriously and went back to chopping Sokka's improperly gutted fish into pieces.

* * *

Prince Zuko stormed out of the shop, (which was now smoking,) his hands curled up into fists. He had shown the crusty storekeeper just how 'pesky' he was when it came to fire, and how he had his own endless supply of it. 

At least the old man would not be selling dynamite anymore.

He had to decide whether to go back and join his team, which was waiting for him on the outskirts of the town (he knew the guards up front would never allow him in with a troop of twenty men,) or continue looking for the avatar in this Godforsaken town.

For a split second he almost took the path leading out, but his determination not to miss any signs of the avatar led him down another path full of clothing shops.

Perhaps after being on the road so long they would need to replace the little bit of pathetic clothing they had. They were peasants, after all.

Well, the two accompanying the young boy were.

He stepped into a promising shop. It was quite large. Since this was an earthbending town most of the clothes inside were green and brown.

If the three were hiding they would not be difficult to spot. Two of them wore blue, and the avatar wore orange.

Zuko stepped slowly down row after row, hands folded behind his back. His boots made clunking sounds with every step.

Katara's heart jumped. Those steps were daunting. They sounded serious, and an awful lot like…

_Prince Zuko_.


	3. Au Campement

What was he doing here so soon?

Katara's entire body tensed. She did a strange look around, with widened eyes and slowed breathing. She tried to keep quiet, even though she'd seen the menacing front of Prince Zuko's body as he walked toward her unknowingly.

A wave of chills swept her whole body. It came along with the feeling of how silly her hiding spot was, and how he could probably see right through the clothes and see her. She felt like she was standing behind glass.

_If he catches me we're finished_. She thought.

Even though she knew she had to be quieter, her chest wanted to heave up and down for breath.

The Princes eyes swept the length of the shop. It was large, but no one seemed to be there. Why waste his time looking in places that would be difficult for them to hide in.

He made a small note of scolding to himself, sure to dwell on later like all the rest of his self-critical thoughts. He turned around to walk out.

Katara did not relax even as he turned around. She could judge nothing around firebenders, they were unpredictable.

Then, to her horror, something happened at that moment.

"Can I help you madam?" The elderly shopkeeper said kindly, bowing to Katara. He looked slightly baffled that she was standing behind gardening robes, but all the same; she was a customer.

'Madam'? Did he look like a woman?

"- _What_ did you call me?" Prince Zuko asked incredulously, whirling around.

He stopped dead when he saw the store owner talking to a rack of clothing.

There was a strange pause. His eyes narrowed.

Had he even seen earthbending clothes that were blue before? A light blue that looked very much like…

The girl.

Katara's heart frightfully began to beat. She was caught. The old man had blown her cover. Her thoughts flew fifty different directions. She held her breath and hoped that he still wouldn't see her.  
Maybe Prince Zuko couldn't see who the shopkeeper was talking to…

"I'm rather interested in purchasing a set of gardening clothes." Prince Zuko abruptly said to the man, while staring directly through the clothes at Katara. She took a step back into the wall.

"Really? How about that, you're exactly in the correct section of the store for that sort. All of our gardening tunics and sorts are right here…"

"Thank you." The words were placid. Even a child could sense that Prince Zuko was not interested at all in buying gardening robes. His real intentions would be unknown, however.

Every step he took towards her spot made Katara's heart race faster.

He paused for a moment once he was a step away, looking solidly, almost triumphantly at the green and brown clothes. Then he raised his hand, and tore them back. They fell to the ground.

The old man jumped a little and said to Katara, "Goodness! Oh yes, well, if I may ask, young one, what are you doing inside my shop behind the clothes? Are you playing a game?"

Katara had gasped when she'd been revealed, and tried to take another step back, but could go no further into the wall.

Prince Zuko's head tilted to the side. "Well, well. Where is your friend, the avatar?" He asked. "And don't play stupid, either… I've no time for games."

"I thought she was playing one!" The old man chuckled; clearly not knowing the seriousness of what was happening. "Is your friend going to find you?"

"I think I already did." The Prince said. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at her.

What should she do?

Pretend to be mute? Make a run for it?

Run behind the shopkeeper and use him as a shield?

There were a million options; and not one safe solution.

Katara realized that her situation was utterly helpless and pathetic.

"I – I don't know what you're – _please help me_!" She screamed, casting a frightened look at the old man. It was show time.

"I've never seen this man before in my life!"

Damn. She was using the 'save me' tactic. Oh well, no matter, he would burn the store down if he had to.

Prince Zuko shook his head. "I think you need to come with me now…" He moved forward and made to grab her arm with his, but suddenly a sharp pain erupted through it. The shopkeeper had whacked it with his staff.

"You'll not touch this young lady." He said sternly, moving in between Katara and Zuko. "Unless you and her are acquainted."

_Acquainted?_

The teenaged boy rolled his eyes. "Look, she's been traveling with me for awhile now. She's just pretending."

"_Are_ you pretending not to know him?" The man asked her, looking at her with slight surprise.  
"What – NO! Of course not!" Katara said indignantly.

"How do I know?"  
"Well… you should…I mean I…" Katara's stomach jolted. There was no proof at all.

"Wait! What's my name." She asked, almost smiling from how smart this was.

"What?" Prince Zuko said.

"My name. Tell me my name."

There was a short pause. The prince's eyes bore into hers as the pause turned into a long one. The old man stroked his mustache. His eyes switched from one to the other like watching a game of tennis.

What _was_ her name? He'd forgotten. So intent on finding the young boy she traveled with, that names were something he did not know.

Come to think of it he didn't even know her brothers name… if they were indeed siblings, and not… something else.

All these thoughts passed through Zuko's mind at lightning speed. His mouth parted and his brows creased, he wet his lips before saying sharply,

"Is this really necessar-"

"I would imagine," The shopkeeper said coldly. "That if you do not know her name, I have no choice but to assume you're a lying swine that has less than pure intentions for this young lady."

He thought hard. Even though Prince Zuko knew that he could just take her by force, it had got him to thinking. And the thinking had got him to pondering.

When Zuko wanted something known, he made it his duty to find out. It was part of perseverance, something he had much of. Then he remembered.

"Katara." He said solidly, the word falling from his mouth with the same deadliness his eyes carried as he stared at her.

She was caught off guard. Before she realized that she could pretend her name _wasn't_ Katara, she had responded. And by then it was too late.

"How did you remember my - "

" - okay, you've had your fun." The shopkeeper said with an awkward chuckle. "I suppose you two can be off. I've got more customers!"

He shoved Katara towards Prince Zuko and hastened off to meet the newcomers.

Immediately Prince Zuko grabbed her arm in a death grip and led her out of the store.

There was silence as they walked for a minute.

Katara's heart was fluttering so fast she thought she might pass out from fright. _What was she going to do now_? _Well, as long as he didn't have Aang_.

Why wasn't he saying anything? He looked so serious. His hands were very warm… almost too warm. It felt like there was fire underneath his skin.

"You had no right to give me that trouble in the shop." He said firmly as they walked.

"Where are you taking me." Katara interrupted, and feeling like she should at least know what was going to happen.

She was a _captive_ now.

"You knew I was going to take you anyways, why would you waste my time." He continued, shaking his head and gritting his teeth.

There was another silence.

"We're going to my ship. That's all you need to know."

Already the Prince was thinking of ways he could use her to lure the avatar. She was his closest friend; obviously… if he discovered she was in danger, he would come right to rescue her. And then…

They exited the gates of Ichinomiya, and once they'd traveled along the path a bit, to Katara's alarm, they arrived at a tiny encampment with fifteen or so men. Other firebenders. The Prince had brought a troop.

A couple of large canvas tents had been propped up, there was a fire, and one of the guards was cooking something over it.

The smell of putrid smoke lingered around, and also the smell of men. (to Katara, the _disgusting_ smell of men, which made her wrinkle her nose).

Although, when she walked behind Prince Zuko as he led her through the encampment, it didn't smell so bad. Well at least _he_ found time to make sure he didn't smell terrible.

In fact, there was a smell about him that made Katara wonder what it was. Or, how he achieved it.

It was a husky, pine smell, rather intoxicating. Then Katara called herself out, and remembered they were right in the middle of a forest. Of course she smelled pine.

Others looked at them as they walked by, some with looks of surprise, some with looks that Katara did not want to know about… she knew was that she was not safe in this encampment.

An enemies' encampment, where no one would protect her.

For it was true, if she was in danger, would she be protected because she was a woman?

She doubted anyone would come to her aid if one of the men tried to do anything to her. Not the cook, not the guards, and definitely not Prince Zuko.  
What if he was the one trying anything dreadful in the first place?  
She didn't know if he was that type of person… he was difficult to predict.

"Now, since you'll be here for as long as it takes," Prince Zuko said tonelessly as he grabbed some rope in his free hand and led her to a tree. "I'd expect you to realize that you are not escaping, you have no means of contact with the avatar and your other friend, and that if you cause trouble I will find a way to show you the consequences."

Katara's blue eyes scanned his scarred face.

"Brother."  
"What?"

"He's my _brother_." Katara repeated.

Prince Zuko stared at her as he finished tying the knot. He tilted his head. "Very well. Your brother. Care to tell me his name, too?" He added mockingly.

"Sokka." Katara answered placidly, knowing full well that he was playing her, and she was taking the bait. "Just in case you need to lie to the next person who might save me next time."

Had he really wasted five minutes talking to this bartering chip? Prince Zuko had no time for games. He should be spending his time searching for the avatar instead of conversing with captives.

He didn't say anything more; simply tied the knot, carelessly turned, and walked off into his own tent.

Katara felt a sense of vulnerability as soon as he had walked away.

Somehow, being tied to a tree in front of nineteen men much older than Prince Zuko, with him no longer in front of her making self-confident comments and abstracting her view of the rest of the encampment, made her feel bare.

She'd rather have the presumptuous Prince back tying a rope around, then a bunch of men staring at her.

Then, to her horror, a couple of the men began to somehow move aimlessly over to the tree, and before she knew it, they were feet away from her.

One of them leaned forward and put his hand on the tree next to her face. He leaned in a little. "Are you our captive?"

Katara stared, disgusted, up at him, but trembling on the inside. "Prince Zuko gave me orders to stay here on this tree. I think if you untie me he'll be very upset. You wouldn't want to upset him would you?"

The guard chuckled and leaned in more like he was telling her a secret.

"I don't give two damns what that young ponce does."

Katara's breath caught in her throat. This was bad news. And he had continued speaking with even more bad news.

"I'm following orders from him because he's under the command of General Zhao, and even more so, the Firelord… But I don't think either of them cares about a pretty little peasant girl whom we've taken captive… or what happens to her…"

"Touch me and you'll wish you hadn't." Katara growled. She couldn't think of anything else to say… because in truth… the guard was right. She didn't matter at all.

"Is there something you want with her?" Said a voice from behind them.

Katara didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more upset when she heard his low voice. Whose side was Prince Zuko on?

_His own_… She thought to herself, but waited hopefully none the less. Maybe he would do something different then them. If he did, she would be truly proved wrong in one aspect.

"Just looking for a little entertainment." The guard said. The other two peeled their eyes off Katara and nodded at Zuko from behind the first guard.

"Surely you don't mind?"

Prince Zuko's eyes narrowed. He may have been entirely focused on capturing the avatar that there was no time for any second thoughts, but that didn't take away from the fact that he was a respectable teenage boy at one time. Perhaps even now.

After all, in life before he had been exiled from the firebending kingdom, he never would have allowed something like that to happen to say, his sister, or his friend. Not at all.

He would never allow a woman to be ravaged under his authorization.

"Do you think I am in favor of immoral conducts? In my _own camp_?" He shouted disbelievingly. "I take this at serious offense! You are asking me permission to perform distasteful things on a girl far younger than you? You have some nerve."

"You speak of this sir, as… _distasteful_… obviously you have never done such things." The guard said with a hint of laughter in his voice. He almost smiled.

Prince Zuko's cheeks burned and his fist erupted with fire. "It is irrelevant about anything I have or never have done." He spoke dangerously. Katara watched him and the guards in astonishment.

"Actually my Prince, I think if you ever had been with a woman, you would encourage the guards and myself's wishes… so… perhaps _you_ should take her first."

Katara's eyes brimmed with fiery tears. Not only was she insulted, but she was sickened with the men's behavior.

So disgusted, in fact, that she forgot her hatred for Zuko at that moment and cried angrily, "YOU **PIGS**!"

There was silence as every mans head turned to her, including Prince Zuko's.

Katara's chest was heaving as far as it could under the ropes she was bound under. A sick, cold feeling spread from her neck to her stomach.

After Prince Zuko had looked at Katara quickly, he remembered what was being said to him by his own guards, and his temper fired up again.

"You will be silent while I speak to you." Zuko ordered. He threw his hand forward and the fire that issued itself out, surged forward, burning the guard's mouth.

The guard howled in pain and pressed his fist to his lips, trying to sooth the pain as best he could.

While he whimpered, Prince Zuko stepped toward him and spoke in a low, deadly tone.

"If I hear about, see, catch, or discover _any_ of that sort of behavior happening… or being planned… I will take that man who has those intentions, and cut him from this troop. In doing so, I will send him into the wilderness, with his honor stripped from him, and a noticeable scar to accompany him…"

He paused and a grim look crossed his features.

"And in case you don't know what it's like - I know how it feels to have no honor. You can take my word on that. Now back to whatever you were doing before."

As reluctant as they were to do so, the guards took one look at the one of them with singed lips, made up their mind, and returned to their posts by the fire, or playing cards.

The one guard who had frightened Katara the most got up and walked off into the woods, probably to find a stream and sooth his burn.

This left Prince Zuko standing there. His fists were balled, he was breathing heavy through his nose, and he was staring at the guards who had scattered themselves again.

He turned to look at Katara, and their eyes met for a split second.

During that split second Katara's heart jumped at the sight of his face.

So focused. So full of thought. It was frightening.

That face that caused Aang so much trouble and fear. Nightmares, worry, panic, having to run away from him.

Anger burned inside her for her friend, as she stared at his enemy.

Right in front of her.

Standing, right there.

Right _there,_ in his black and red armor, with his stone cold face and his dark golden eyes.

Before she knew it he had broken the glance as carelessly as he would with any other person in any other situation, and he had gone back into his tent.

Katara finally let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes.

This was already more upsetting then she had worried it would be… and it was only minutes after she had arrived at the encampment.

How much more would come? And more yet… how much more could she take.

* * *


	4. Et Le Garçon Tombe

Before this chapter I'd like to just put a note here.

Apologies everyone – it was a complete slip up on my part to put in there the guard saying that Zuko was under Zhao's command.

I know he isn't under Zhao's command, but it was late at night, and I was writing and not thinking.

I always want to get these chapters in fast but I guess I'm going to take more time and make sure everything is correct before up and posting a new chapter quickly.

Story-wise, for now I'm just going with it was a slip up to say that Zuko was under his command, and that he is a mistaken guard who doesn't know what he's talking about. )

Oh and also it was a slip up to say he had a small fleet. Bah. Me and my stupid brain.

Forgive me, everyone, please?

And trust me… I don't think of Katara as passive. Hwah, she's going to not be so in the future, for certain.

I used to be called a Twist Queen back in my previous months of writing, so we'll see it that comes true in this story and if stuff changes without notice.

And to the long review also – when the guards talk back to Prince Zuko, it's because of the very fact that was mentioned… they believe he is an immature 16 year-old who shouldn't be given the power he has, as little or as much as it is. So it's because of them looking down on him, that they spoke the way they do to him.  
Notice, how they still actually _obey_ him though?

Oh and for the people who have been asking… the translation of "La Fille Légère et Le Garçon Sombre" is:

"The light girl, and the dark boy"

Everyone settled then? Alright, grab your popcorn, and next chapter…

-

* * *

- 

The smell of fish lingered through the air at the stall Sokka had so fortunately discovered the previous day.

Aang had found him that afternoon, and been put to work immediately, so that by nighttime the boys had gotten an entire sack of fish to take with them once they departed to find Katara.

They had looked all over the town; for so long that Sokka's feet felt like they were going to fall off, and Momo actually _had_ fallen off Aang's shoulders when he'd fallen asleep one time.

By nightfall both of them had become severely worried.

"She could still be looking for us," Sokka said as he paced back and forth. Aang sat in front of him Indian-style on the ground, playing with a rock in the dirt. "We have _no_ way of contacting her! This is ridiculous."

"I could fly around the top of the town tomorrow morning to try and see her!"

"Don't you think that might be a little unsafe," Replied Sokka disdainfully, putting his hand on his chin and stroking his invisible beard. "You could be seen by the fire nation. And then that would be perfect, wouldn't it."

Aang sighed and looked back down. He resumed his playing in the dirt, as Sokka resumed his pacing.

"We'll just have to keep looking, Sokka, I don't know if there's anything else we can do."

-

* * *

- 

_These ropes_…

Katara wriggled inside the knots she was bound by. She winced. Every time she tried to loosen them it cut into her skin, making it raw.

She didn't quite know why she had acted the way she did the day before… but a sickened, angry feeling had replaced the more subdued one, and she found herself being irritable all the time.

She had watched the soldiers play card games, talk in circles, drink from their canteens, and laze about the entire evening, to finally fall asleep at a not-so-late hour in the night.

Prince Zuko had made himself incredibly scarce the entire time. The only moment Katara saw him was when he opened the flap of the tent to tell the guards to be quieter than they were being beside the fire. Then he had gone back in and disappeared once more.

She was cold, and alone the entire night. Katara refused to fall asleep; her nerves were too wrought.

The whole night she thought of ways to escape, and by morning, she had decided.

Either that day, or that night, she was going to get out of that encampment, whether it would be mildly dangerous, or deadly.

The guards woke up at random intervals throughout the morning, yawning and stretching to bring in another day. She just continued to watch them - not very interesting.

Then Prince Zuko stepped out of his tent, and Katara looked away when she saw him. A ripple of anger rushed through her at that moment.

Just because he had prevented anything bad from happening the previous day didn't change one thing about him. That was certain in her mind.

"What's for breakfast, then," She heard one guard mumble to another.

"Dunno." He replied, shrugging and eyeing the fire which had turned into a smoking pile of ash. "Some of the meat we've brought, and bread…"

"Let our hostage cook breakfast." Prince Zuko said tonelessly, walking over to the stone pit.

"I – what?" Katara said, not entirely opposed to this but wondering where it had com from.

"I see nothing wrong with you cooking for us. The men are hungry; you have nothing better to do than cook something for us."

"It doesn't mean they can't cook for themselves." Katara shot back. Then she shut her mouth. It was the perfect opportunity to escape. What was she thinking?

The prince began to untie her bonds. "You can cook us breakfast."

"Alright then, what am I going to make?"

"We have preserved noodles, and some chicken."

"The noodles are dry then, are they?" She continued.

"Yes."

"Well then I'll need water."

Prince Zuko stared at her, and Katara had a feeling he saw what she was getting at.

"I don't think so." He said blandly.

"But how am I supposed to cook breakfast without water?" Katara urged, and in her hastiness, her voice lashed out.

Prince Zuko's eyes bore into hers once again. Katara stared straight back.

"Alright then, you can take two men to the river and fill up some of our canteens." He said, turning around almost instantly. "But watch her closely." He added to the guards.

Katara let out her breath. Perfect.

"Alright let's go then." Said one of the guards to accompany her, and he edged her to the small path.

When they reached the stream, Katara walked out in front of the two men behind her, heart beating. She was going to get away.

"Here." She whipped around just as one of the guards thrust three canteens at her.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically, turning to the stream again and walking to it.

Even though she could have bended the water from seven feet away, she wanted to be sure…

Just as soon as she got to the bank, closer to the water…

Katara stepped towards the stream, bent down, and filled up her canteen. She continued, and filled up the other three, then set them on the ground. She took a breath. Then -

Quickly dropping her canteen so it would be easier to bend, in one movement, she positioned her hands, drew out, in, and pulled the water from the stream directly to the men behind her and breathed out.

It was easy; as easy as reading a book with a glass of lemonade would be, or going for a nice relaxing swim would be.

Ice froze in rigid slices all around the first one, and he was immobilized instantly. The second one ducked behind him and shot a jet of fire at her.

Katara moved to the left, dodging it but feeling the heat brush her cheek. She took another breath and drew more water.

A whip formed itself and lashed out at the man, striking him in the chest.

It was so small, that he underestimated it, yet so strong that it knocked him backwards onto the ground. With a yelp, he clutched the spot that had been whipped, and reached up to send more fire at her.

With another breath Katara had successfully frozen him in the position of reaching out to grasp something in front of him… and before giving the two guards a chance to attempt to melt themselves free, or the other guards to come once they'd heard his call, she had grabbed her canteen, filled it with water, and taken off down the bank as fast as her legs could carry her. She did not forget to note how very much she loved the art of waterbending.

-

* * *

- 

"Okay thank you. So keep your eye out. Yeah, okay, thanks," Sokka backed away from the fish woman (called Opal he discovered) gave her a half salut/hand wave gesture and walked back to Aang.

"Well she says she'll watch out for Katara, I think we should keep asking all the store owners to do it, too. That way we can find her easier."

It was morning, the two boys had slept in a slightly grassy trench between two houses as shelter, and both had sore backs as a result.

By late morning, nearly lunch time, they had gone through over five full streets and asked every shopkeeper to watch out for Katara.

They came back to the center, (the area full of stalls, including the fish one,) and plopped down on one of the fountains.

"I'm exhausted." Sokka said, who was in a grumpy worried mood. "And we still need to keep looking for Katara."

" - Why would you ever want to do that?" At that very moment, Katara herself came jogging up to them, panting and looking half relieved, half panicstricken.

"I am _so_ glad I've found both of you."

"Katara!" Both of the boys cried, jumping up at once. (Sokka did this less enthusiastically than Aang, for he had gotten 'the rockier part of the trench')

"What happened to you? You look…" Aang struggled to find the word, and gave up by moving forward and hugging her.

"I know. There's a bit to tell you. But first we have to get out of this town." She replied, catching her breath finally and pulling away from Aang. "It's not safe at all."

"Katara look at all the fish that Aang and I –"

"Why isn't it safe?" Asked Aang, interrupting Sokka.

"The firebenders – I was caught and taken captive but I got free… there's actually no time to explain it now, we've _got_ to go –"

"Okay, okay," Sokka said, slinging the sack of fish over his shoulder. "Appa's waiting down the road a little outside the city. But look at this fish I got!" He turned around to show her his back.

Katara's face tightened. "Which way down the road?"

"To the right…" Her brother began, disappointed she was taking no notice in the food he'd gotten.

Instead, she beckoned halfway through his sentence, turned to run, and they made their way back to the gates.

"It's alright then, where Prince Zuko took me was to the left, we're safe…"

However when they reached the gate all three of them discovered that they were _not_ indeed, safe.

The two guards that had chased them the day previous were on watch yet again, and they had no way of getting out of the city unspotted.

"Sokka – where did you get those fish?" Katara asked suddenly, an idea sprinting into her head.

"Finally!" He said triumphantly, pulling it in front of him. "Well see I ran into this lady named Opal, of course I didn't discover that until after I met her, but she told me I could work for food if I helped her gut which – which, if you're asking, is disgusting if you're gutting _her_ fish… I mean, every other fish I've gutted hasn't been _nearly_ as smelly as hers were, I don't know where she gets them…"

Katara wasn't listening. She was looking down the street at the clothing shop she had run into Prince Zuko in. Earthbending clothes.

"Go back to her; and sell them." She told Sokka, turning her head back to face him.

Her brothers' shoulders dropped. "You've got to be kidding m-"

" - no I'm serious Sokka, we need the money to buy clothes at that store to disguise ourselves so we can get out of this town without being stopped!"

"But –"

"_Now_ - we're running out of time!"

Grumbling under his breath, Sokka trudged back to the center of the town to sell his hard-earned fish.

Aang looked at her with his wide eyes. "So… what happened Katara? Can you tell me now?"

She looked at him. "I was caught by Prince Zuko in one of the shops, and he took me back to his encampment. He was planning on using me as bait to capture you."

She paused, and then said, "Which, by the way, if that happens, don't come for me, because he'll just take you and then everyone will be in trouble."

"But what will you do then?" Aang asked, with worry in his big round eyes.

"I'd get free somehow. I managed to do it just now, didn't I?" Katara's head tilted and she smiled a little.

Both of their heads snapped to the side when they heard the slow scratch of gravel nearing them.

Sokka had come trudging back with his head held down, holding a bunch of silver coins in his two hands.

"Here." He said shortly, dumping it into his sisters. "All that hard work for absolutely nothing, I hope you're happy."

"I am – come on!"

Inside the shop, Katara scanned the aisles and quickly chose out three costumes for the three of them. Ironically enough, Sokka became a fish merchant, she became a gardener, and Aang was a child with a wide flat straw hat.

"This hat itches like the hay I used to get into Omashu." Aang said, scratching his temple. "When I was Bonzu Pipinpadelopsocopolis III." He grinned.

"And this suit smells." Sokka said, sniffing it and jerking his head away.

"Oh stop complaining Sokka," Said Katara, who had smiled at Aang. "I actually like mine. It's very comfortable."

"Well good for you. Aren't we supposed to be trying to get out of the gates?" Sokka examined his robes, but when he looked up, Aang and Katara were already out of the door. "Well I'm glad not the only one who thought of it." He muttered, quickly running after them.

Their plan worked excellently. In fact, the two guards barely even looked at them as they walked out; they were too busy being distracted by an irritated looking man rolling a cabbage cart inside.

"Great idea, Katara!" Aang said loudly as they walked down the path. "I don't even think Prince Zuko and his crew would recognize us now!"

Thirty yards away the Prince himself and his entire group of guards skidded up to the gate. "We'll wait here." He said harshly. "Then they can't get past us."

Sokka dragged his feet as he walked. All that fish he had earned, and now he was still going to be hungry. And he even smelled like it too.

He looked over his shoulder mournfully at the town that held delicious morsels.

Wait. Was that who he thought it was?  
"Uh… guys…" He hissed. "Don't freak out or anything, but Scarface is behind us at the gate.  
Katara turned around and almost laughed. How ironic. "Alright, just keep walking." She said happily. They wouldn't recognize them. And besides, they were almost to the woods were Appa was waiting.

In Prince Zuko's mind, bittersweet kudos were given to the girl whom he clearly underestimated.

She had managed to freeze in place two grown men. Was it possible for a little waterbending peasant to do that? How old was she, twelve?

His entire plan had failed because once again he didn't plan it properly. Once again, he had managed to mess up. This would not happen.

He looked up. She wasn't in the town. They had to have left already. Gone, into the forest once more to disappear for who knew how long.

He turned his head slowly around to face the right. No, why would she go back to the camp she knew was there…

He looked to the left and his heartbeat sped up triumphantly.

Three people walking away from the town.

It didn't matter that they were dressed in earthbending clothes – he knew it was them.

"There they are! Catch them now!" He shouted, and when all the guards looked wildly around for what he was pointing at – he began to run forward himself.

"Never mind!" Katara said, sprinting forward. "Run!"

Nearly tripping over all their disguises which they didn't have time to take off, the three of them ran into the woods to find Appa.

Aang pulled from his clothing a small white whistle that he blew as hard as he could… and sure enough, after a few seconds, Appa came flying down towards them from the sky.

Prince Zuko would not let them run again. He was so close.

"ATTACK THEM!" He yelled at his men who were far behind them. "They'll be in the skies!"

He continued running right after them. He would _still catch them_.

Shooting fire from his fists that was so strong it spread out ten feet in front of him, he bolted at them as they were climbing up on Appa.

"Hurry! Get on!" Aang said to Katara, who was just climbing onto the giant bison. "He's right behind –" Fire licked at his face and he fell back onto the seat to avoid the warmth.

Katara turned around, saw the Prince running right at her, and quickly opened her canteen.

It happened in a series of extremely fast movements.

Right as Prince Zuko jumped up towards her to try and get on the bison, Katara bended ice onto his face, blinding him. She then tossed the canteen to the side and shoved him in the chest as hard as she could to keep him away from her.  
At that moment Appa had lifted off the ground… and Prince Zuko fell ten feet, off the bison, and onto the ground. He hit it with a hard thud, body snapping back, and face still covered in ice.

Katara watched him as they flew up into the air… watching his unconscious figure grow smaller and smaller. She was completely satisfied with what had happened for twelve seconds.

Then as she turned around and sat down, she realized that that fall could really hurt someone.

Sure, the person who had fallen was Prince Zuko.

The prince who was trying to capture Aang.

The Prince whom she hated very much.

But even if he was her enemy, she had never intended to kill him.

Was he dead? Had the fall killed him? It had seemed like his back had broken in half. What if he couldn't breathe and he was suffocating to death?

Suddenly Katara had become very aware of her surroundings, and the fact that Aang and Sokka were staring at her randomly horrified face.

"I was just… thinking about how close that was." She said, shoving every thought and worry to the back of her mind. "… Do you think that fall hurt Prince Zuko?"

"Probably." Said Sokka carelessly. "But Prince Zuko is pretty tough, that guy wouldn't have let some little fall hurt him."

But Sokka truly didn't know what he was talking about, for back on the ground a hundred feet down, Prince Zuko _had_ gotten hurt. The fall had knocked his head, and sprained his arm, nothing too serious like death, but he had lost consciousness all the same.

And, he had run far enough into the woods that while he laid there unconscious, his guards looked for him, and did not succeed.

They had spent a good hour looking for him, and when they could not find him, they went back to the main road and began traveling in hopes of finding him along the way.

After all, with the independent drive that Prince Zuko had, he would certainly have gone off chasing the avatar himself.

Luckily the heat of the day had melted the bit of ice on his face quickly, so he could breathe in his state of unconsciousness.

He awoke a little less than four hours later, by which time it was around two in the afternoon, and very hot out.

Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and rode out the dizzy wave that greeted him with this movement. He ran his hand over his face, remembering what had happened to him

She had looked him straight in the face before prickly shards of ice impaired his vision. Then he had felt two hands upon his chest, shove him hard.

He had fallen for the longest time, and then – nothing.

The peasant had one upped him.

She had succeeded in making him fail.

The avatar had been right there… three feet behind the girl… directly in front of him.

And he had been defeated.

By a waterbender. By a waterbending peasant.

The anger and embarrassment surged through him as he stood there in the middle of the forest.

He whipped his head around.

Where was his team? His group of guards?

Nowhere to be seen. Obviously they hadn't successfully obeyed his orders. Idiots.

He breathed out and rubbed his face. Now he was by himself with no ship, no troop, nothing.

He had been taught, however, to deal with anything on his own. He had learned that in order to survive, one did not need other people. He did not need what other people had to offer…

Prince Zuko had been trained in survival skills. In all aspects.

Not only survival skills on staying alive, but survival skills on living every day.

This included ways of thinking. This demanded ways of living.

What he had been taught came into practice in everything he did. It was who he was.

He would track down the avatar himself. He would catch him. And then he would return to his father and be invited back into the firebending nation with honor. Honor for using the very thing his father had told him he would use.

_Suffering will be your teacher_…

* * *


	5. L'esprit Bleu

L'espirit Bleu 

Okay SORRY that this one took so long… I kind of got discouraged because I kept thinking I wasn't doing the story right from some reviews I read. But I've swallowed my worries and continued on, hoping I don't get bashed for making the story so terrible. Oh well, right? D

And by the way, I'll _never_ abandon this story or just stop writing in it. I like it too much. So, just so you know, I'm in it for good… even if some chapters may take longer than others.

Oh, and I think I'm going to start using French quite a bit in chapter names and other stuff, because it's my favorite language, and the title of the story is in French.

If you ever want to know what something means, use freetranslation dot com, because that's what I'll be taking it from. (Even though it's not correct 100 of the time.)

By the way, this story takes place AFTER The Siege of the North: Part 2.

So after everything's finished, that's when this is. Assuming that Prince Zuko regained his search for the avatar by getting back a ship of his own somehow after being on the makeshift raft with his Uncle awhile.

Also assuming Katara is now going to teach Aang waterbending.

And if you have any questions as to how some stuff is happening, if this is indeed after Siege of the North pt. 2, just personal message me and I will be happy to explain whatever's confusing!

Mmkay?

And - I also brainstormed with myself, and have a thousand good ideas bursting from my head, and I actually had to write them all down in a word document because there were so many. Twists, scenes, etc. I'm so excited!

-

-

"That's all we have." Katara said, putting the lid back on the basket while her brother gave a heavy sigh.

"Well if you hadn't made me sell back the fish…"

"Sokka I think you're just going to have to deal with it." She told him. "Look, you know I had to do it or else we would've been caught."

"We almost were _anyways_," Sokka grunted. "So we might as well have ditched the outfits, let Zuko and his men see us, and made a dash for Appa _with_ the fish."

"It's no use crying over spilled rice, we'll have to ignore our stomachs and stop at the nearest town."

"Um, about that Katara,"

"Yes, Aang?"

The avatar had been peering over the seat, scanning the ground for any signs of cities, and had no luck. "I don't see anything for awhile."

It was Katara's turn to sigh. "We can pick wild mushrooms, and berries. That's never failed before!"

"Yeah, unless you want to get sick from the poisonous mushrooms." Sokka noted.

Katara crunched her hands into fists and stared at the empty baskets.

"Well I guess if it goes really bad, we can always eat Momo." Sokka said with a shrug. Behind him, the tiny animal gave an offended chirrup and zoomed onto Aang's shoulder.

"We could never eat him!" Said the monk, giving his pet a pet.

The wind breezed by listlessly, just cold enough, just warm enough. All three of them were quiet for a good five minutes.

Then, as if he were completing the cycle, Aang finally sighed.  
"I can't believe they almost caught us."

"Yeah we're really slipping up, aren't we," Sokka mumbled in agreement.

"No it's not that, it's just… what would've happened if they did?" Aang said.

"They wouldn't have," Interrupted Katara. "You know we'd never let them take us without a fight. Besides, I could beat Prince Zuko any day. I've done it before, I can do it again." She smiled at the two boys.

"Anyways, I volunteer that we go down to land again," Katara began, but Sokka had interrupted her immediately.

"Are you crazy? We just came from down there, that's where Zuko and his troops are!"

"If I'm going to teach Aang waterbending, we'll need to be by some water."

When Sokka held up a canteen, she looked at him disdainfully. "More than just that. By a river or something!"

"It still doesn't feel safe. How about we stay up here as long as we possibly can, then when we can't take it any longer we'll tell Appa to go down to a river so you and Aang can waterbend and I can find some food."

Katara nodded. "That sounds good. Okay, time to hold it out. Aang, want to play another game of menko to pass the time?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Sokka complained.

"Try giving Momo a foot massage." His sister replied.

-

-

Prince Zuko shoved another long branch out of the way - he was making his way through a thicker part of the forest that was now his living space for the next who knew how long.

He had assumed there was a town north of him somewhere, they were just scattered that way throughout the countryside. And so his journey had begun.

No food, no provisions, he truly was on his own.

He had traveled for an entire day. By nightfall his entire body was aching, and his sprained arm was in more pain than ever.

The temporary sling he'd put together from weak branches was gaining enough wear-and-tear to officially retire, so Zuko found a rock shelter, built a firepit, and prepared to rest for the night.

In one breath he ignited the sticks in the center of the ring of stones, and sat down, cross-legged in front of it.

Not a moment went by where he wasn't thinking about the avatar, or him being on his own in the wilderness, or more thoughts along those lines. Himself.

That's what it was all about nowadays. Him.

It wasn't him being arrogant, or prideful, that was simply all he had.

Well, and his Uncle Iroh.

Then at that second Prince Zuko felt something that he loathed in a person of military; especially himself.

He felt that small, occasional, and persistent feeling of loss. Or _need_, if he really wanted to cringe in distaste.

However ridiculous his uncle was at times, there was a show of love there that Zuko had never received from his father.

And for that, Iroh was a man for whom Zuko held respect.

He respected his father, but not in the same way he respected Uncle Iroh.

And come to think of it, he missed his crazy uncle.

At that second, half of Prince Zuko was thinking that it would be better to have his Uncle with his 'wise noodles and soy sauce' there with him, and half of Prince Zuko was telling himself to ignore those weak thoughts and focus on what he was going to do next…

Find a town.

-

-

"Sokka – can you – pass me – my canteen – " Katara took a breath and opened her eyes to a squint. She extended her hand towards her brother's face.

"That's it, we're going down now. This is getting ridiculous."

Strange. Katara had _heard_ Sokka's voice, but the lips on the face in front of her didn't move at all.

"Why go down?" She coughed. "We're still fine."

"No, you're getting delirious." His voice responded. "I'm way over here, and you're asking Momo to hand you your canteen."

Katara opened her eyes to their full extent and sat up – but this was a bad choice.  
Her whole head spun with dizziness and she had to throw herself back down to avoid her brain exploding.

Her head hurt so badly… and so did her stomach. How long had it been since they had eaten?

"Look, I was all for staying up here as long as we could, but it's been a day and a half and we're all going to go insane if we don't go down and get to food water and shelter."

"And poor Appa!" Aang cut in. "His stomach's been grumbling for the past ten minutes!"

Katara jumped when the entire earth around her rumbled, and she heard (and felt) a deep groan. She rubbed her dry eyes. "You're right, Sokka. Time to go down."

"Yip yip, Appa! To a river!" Her twelve year-old appearance friend called to the flying bison.

Aang had taken the least amount of damage from the long journey. Either that, or he had gone into override – he had so much false energy that he would've carried all of them, on his back, to the town himself… including Appa.

"Ugh, I feel gross." Katara mumbled. She tried to focus in on Sokka, who was a blur of blue and brown. "Now that I actually see you Sokka, can you hand me my canteen?"

She drank some water after he had done so, and felt better. Better enough to sit up.

The cold wind felt good against her warm head. When she looked around a bit, she remembered she had fallen asleep on a canvas sack, and woken up with her face plastered to it, all hot and sticky.

It was very early in the morning, so she assumed she'd slept through the night and not at a bizarre hour in the day.

After a few minutes, Appa began his descent.

"Ah, he's spotted something." Sokka sighed happily. Katara noticed that his hair was looking rather frazzled and messy. He'd be glad to get to the water.

Once they'd touched down on ground, Katara could see the spot Appa had chosen, and was very happy about it.

There was a large river flowing from a small waterfall that made a soothing rush noise in the background, _perfect for some_ _serious waterbending practice, _thought Katara.

There were lots of various sorts of trees, some of them shedding off a cottony-substance that floated around in the air and danced with the sunlight around the miniature lake.

And of course, the occasional frog leaping around the muddier parts of the bank in the grass.

It was the perfect spot for them to rest for a few days, Katara decided. It was even quiet enough to hear the crickets chirping once it fell dark…

_And probably the most brilliant view of the stars from on top of that rock by the top of the waterfall_, she thought.

Immediately, all three of them clambered off of Appa and sped towards the water, each for a different purpose.

"Now we can practice bending for you, Aang!" Katara said excitedly.

"And Appa can have a drink, come on boy!" Said Aang.

"_WATER_!" Cried Sokka.

And the afternoon proceeded gracefully, everyone enjoying themselves thoroughly doing what they wanted… including taking much needed baths.

-

-

"Take these crates onto the ship and put them on the third deck below in the storage room." A harsh voice of one of the bossier guards on the ship commanded two guards who would listen to him. They nodded their cooperation and did as they were told.

The port was a busy place at night, for pirates or for honest ship-owners.

Most of the regulars were pretty upset at the space hogging fire nation ships, though.

After all, ever since the beginning of the town they'd gone on with their business and used the port for their own, and suddenly these angry people invaded their harbor and docked their ships there, using up all the space, so that the regulars were forced to keep their ships out at sea.

It slowed down delivery processes, schedules, and most of all angered the people of Port Leon.

Why was the fire nation searching their town?

It was a decent town, hardly any criminals, and they rarely had pirates come in, except on certain occasions, so what was the reason?

But – they complied. They did their best to accommodate the firebenders, even though some mutters and hidden glances of irritation were spotted by various soldiers.

Prince Zuko's ship had indeed forced its way into Port Leon, and was now anchored at the dock while the guards did a search of the town.

The guards had felt that moving forward in any way was useless without Prince Zuko, since they had no one to give them commands and were now a lone boat with no purpose.

One of the more dominant guards had sent a letter to the fire nation higher command two days prior, asking for help, and then only thing for the guards to do after that was wait it out in the port-based town.

They bided time by gambling amongst themselves, roaming the town and "searching" for the avatar, (included flirting with women, buying food for themselves, and watching different forms of entertainment such as melon jugglers, magicians, and fortune tellers,) and sleeping as often as they wanted in their barracks on the boat.

None of them knew that the very person who they'd lost and were in need of most at the moment, would be in that very port at the same they were. Even though his intentions wouldn't help them at all.

Prince Zuko crouched in the bushes a good fifty feet away from the wood plank that led to onboard his ship. His eyes followed men as they sauntered on and off.

The loner had made his way through the forest painfully, but determinedly, and before he knew it, he'd run into a town. He had no money, and was probably not known in 'Leon', (as he heard several people address it,) so he went to the dock to see if his ship was there - it was.

He had to get on that ship without being seen. He'd decided that his next step in capturing the avatar was to do it his own way.

If seen, his whereabouts would be known and he would have no choice but to continue the search on his boat, which he was no longer going to do.

There was something on that boat he needed… and he was going to get it, and get out before anyone spotted him.

"Let's put them here and have Chan and Dovan bring them onto the ship. They're awkward to carry."  
"But he gave us _orders_…"  
"We aren't even under _his_ command. We're getting Chan and Dovan to do it, come on."

Without a word, Zuko hastened forward, burned open the lock on one of the two crates the guards had set down, and threw aside the large sacks of rice noodles that were supposed to board the ship.

Luckily all the guards were too busy not being busy to notice him climb inside the hay-packed crate and slide the lid shut.

After about eight minutes or so, two men, (supposedly Chan and Dovan,) yawned their way to the crates.

Prince Zuko had held his breath as often as he could – the entire crate smelled of rotted hay and uncooked noodles.

Finally the crate levered its way up to what felt like a floating position and the prince heard them groan. "What's _in_ this thing? You were supposed to tell the merchant we _didn't_ want those rock cakes he was trying to sell us…"

The crate tilted back as the men scooted up the wood plank, Zuko had the uneasy suspended sensation in his body, like the crate were about to drop any second.

But the guards pulled through and the crate bumped down to ground inside the storage room on the boat.

Right when the door closed and the voices were gone Prince Zuko lifted the lid off and climbed out.

After brushing stray pieces of hay off his firebending armor he opened the door and peered down the dimly reddish lit hallway. Not a soul.

He knew this ship like the back of his hand; he'd been on it long enough searching for the avatar.

Zuko made his way right, down the hall and up the stairs to second floor. Then a quick left and on the wall left after that was the room he was looking for.

The very room that Admiral Zhao had come close to thinking, or rather discovering, his secret alias of the Blue Spirit. The room that Admiral Zhao had once told Prince Zuko he would be taking over his ship.

A table sat in the center, crimson and black woven tapestries with the flame representing their nation hung on the walls, and an atmosphere of heat lingered, along with the distant smell of smoke.

Zuko went straight to the swords that were mounted on the wall at the end of the room and took them off. He set them on the table, then went to the closet in the corner.

Inside the closet on the floor was a chest with a lock on it. The lock had three small symbols engraved on the front, which Zuko turned to each show a different one. It clicked open and he removed a blue mask and black clothing, which he placed beside the swords.

What else did he need… he would need provisions; food, canvas to turn into a shelter tent of some kind, and that would all be found…

Minutes later Prince Zuko, disguised as a guard by wearing one of their helmets, walked off the ship with his sack of supplies, and disappeared into the forest again, without anyone ever knowing he was there.

-

-

The fire crackled, their bellies groaned with happiness from a full meal, and Sokka Aang and Katara were all lying on their backs in the grass staring up at the stars before they went to sleep that night.

"This is great." Sokka said contentedly, arms behind his head.

"Yeah, I don't think Prince Zuko and his men will find us here, that's for sure!" Chirped Aang.

Katara said nothing. She had, for the past half an hour, been talking happily with the both of them, but almost instantly her mood seemed to darken and she felt this strange connection inside her, though she did not know what with.

Something had happened to make her full of thought, and distracted, but she couldn't identify it.

It was as if something out there, whether in the stars, or down on earth, that was trying to connect with her, but for what reason, she had no idea.

She wished she knew what was making her mood swing like so, but it was hopeless. She just sighed and continued staring at the brilliantly speckled sky.

Then, she did something so completely random that she wondered where on earth it came from.

"Aang, what do you know about that Blue Spirit that you mentioned at one time? You said you had a dream about him, or something."

There was a moment's pause as Aang twiddled with his thumbs and began to get nervous.

She frowned right after she'd said it. _What did that have to do with anything, and why do you care_?

It had been completely uncalled for. Something in Aang's dream… that happened awhile ago… and here she was bringing it up for no reason.

"Sorry, I don't know why I said that," She said quickly.

Aang, thinking Katara was suspicious of him, immediately said, "Oh no I can tell you about him… I-I dreamt that I was saved by a guy in a blue mask. Heh, guess that sickness you and Sokka had must've rubbed off on me a little bit." He scratched the side of his head.

"Hmm." Katara murmured. Aang had never described the mask in detail, but a clear picture stood in her mind, her idea of what this Blue Spirit would have looked like.

But why?

After another pause, Aang let out a sigh mixed with airbending breath and the fireflies floating above him swirled around. "How long are we going to stay here?"

Katara shook her head to get a little sense back into it, and addressed his question. "As long as it takes me to teach you waterbending, this seems like the perfect spot…"


	6. Un Nouvel Ami, et Combat!

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!  
I've made it four pages longer than usual as a way of an apology.

Anyways… any questions, email me.

-

* * *

-

French 101 - how to pronounce the title.

I've broken it down into each word and done my best to write out the pronunciation.

My best tips would be to try and sound French. Overdo it. It sounds natural that way.

Like, don't _roll_ the r's, we aren't speaking Spanish - instead for the r's (like the one in 'Légère' for example) make the noise you make in the back of your throat when you're trying to itch back there without sticking your finger down, because you don't want to throw up. You ever tried that?

It scratches the itch back there great but you look like an idiot, standing there making strange noises.

Well, the hawking noise like when you're going to hawk a loogie. Now add an r in there.

It's kind of like a raspy 'ruh' sound. And you do it to ever r.

Real words: La – Fille – Légère – et – le – Garcon – Sombre

Pronunciation of each word: Lah - Fee - Leh-jh-air - ay - luh - Gar-sawn - Sohm-bruh

Okay, if you think you've got it, either ask your foreign Uncle if you sound French enough, or read the next chapter!

-

* * *

- 

The blue spirit ran through the forest. His keen sense of water kept him on any trail of strong bending presence of the element.

The misty cold wind even held some sort of a connection as it whipped by him.

He was as agile and cautious as the night sky above him, slipping through the trees and rocks at lightning speeds.

After a long time of running, he slowed down and removed his mask. Immediately he was drawn back to the earth and its realities, no longer connected to water.

He knew that the avatar would be practicing his waterbending… and he would be able to find him now that he had certain… advantages.

He approached a large group of rocks once his energy had nearly run out, but before he allowed the temptation of collapsing beneath them to overtake his will, he looked over to see what terrain he would face next.

The avatar and his waterbending friends were close… he could feel it.

Then he saw a large area of water beyond his mini boulder fortress he hid behind… and to his surprise and shock… the peasant girl and none other than theavatar were beside the water! They were practicing their bending, pushing and pulling it underneath the full moon, which was sure to strengthen their waterbending.

He replaced his mask over his face and felt the muscles near his heart get pulled each way as the two benders moved the water. It was a racy throbbing that made his entire body feel as though it were swaying.

The mask came off as he finally sat down in the dirt and rested.

This was going to be too easy. Already he had caught up with them, and as soon as the sun came out… he would take the avatar as simple as if he were taking a bath.

Zuko went to sleep with a smile on his face that night.

-

* * *

- 

The next morning, Katara and Aang woke up bright and early to go find food, while Sokka and Momo slept in.

Appa was happy to see them, being an early riser himself, and yawned a slow roar as greeting.

They flew only a little ways until they saw a group of particularly bright trees, which they picked as their food collecting spot.

For about an hour or so, each with a basket of their own, they picked berries, mushrooms, some herbs, and even grain from an area of wheat they were lucky enough to discover.

Aang sped up the process by breathing a gust of wind through the blueberry bushes, and Katara held up the basket to catch them.

They both laughed when several hit her and left smudges of jam all over her face.

-

* * *

- 

Sokka woke up to the smell of food over the fire that morning. A rubbery smell. But rubbery food or not, as long as it had the word food in it, it was fine.

"Well," He said thoughtfully through a mouthful of mushroom, (it had taken him a good six minutes just to get over his fear of them being poisonous) "This is all nice and everything…"

"But what?' Katara said, folding her arms.

Her brother swiped his boomerang from the ground and swallowed his mouthful of roasted mushroom. "But it's lacking mans basic necessity. Meat."

"I'm a man," Aang said. "But I don't eat meat."

"Well each man for himself, Aang," Sokka explained with the air of a father teaching his son to fish. "See, while some special cases like yourself have no need for it, meat is in the hunters soul. In our flesh. In our –"

"Heads?" Katara interjected, causing Aang to laugh.

Sokka glowered at her and grabbed his pack.

"I'll be back later with some real food."

He tromped off with a scoff that sounded particularly like "_mushrooms_…"

"I really liked that water disc you showed me how to do yesterday," Aang said, stuffing a few herbs inside a mushroom and shoving it into his mouth.

He had never eaten meat, so was far more accustomed to living without it than Sokka.

"Well just wait, eventually I'll show you one where you slice off and project _multiple_ discs!" She replied happily, rinsing off a pan with her canteen water.

-

* * *

- 

The late morning went by just as gracefully as the earlier morning had, with more waterbending lessons from Katara, and more cooking.

They stocked up on some supplies, including ones they had found in the forest, and then at around eleven o'clock, came to a mutual decision which had started out as Aang's idea.

"Katara, what if we built a pool of water to practice the smaller waterbending moves!" Aang suggested excitedly. "We could build a wall out of stones and then use that water inside for special tricks!"

Katara contemplated this for a second. "That's a good idea." She stated finally. "We can almost organize this lake into different sections for different practices!"

"Well, let's see if we can move these rocks." Aang suggested, wrapping his arms around one the size of his head and heaving it into the air.

"If we arrange them right, maybe the water will flow the right way and we really _will_ have our own pool!" He shrugged, but quickly had to stagger to his balance as the rock in his arms swayed. "Whoaa…"

"Careful," Katara warned, "You haven't learned earthbending yet, so we're on our own manpower. Or actually," She added with a smirk, "Womanpower too."

"I don't need earthbending!" Aang replied. "Watch!"

Taking a deep breath, he revolved his arms around each other, and exhaled with such force that the rock flew into the already half-wall and sunk a few inches into the water, where it finally rested.

"Aang that's still dangerous." Katara said. "These are really heavy."

He swirled more air however, and soon had not one, but two boulders were ready to fly.

Suddenly Katara heard the bushes behind them rustle, and Sokka's voice saying, "It's right through here. Hey guys, I'm back!"

Aang whipped his head around to see. The rocks above him swayed uncertainly.

"Aang, what're you-"

"AHH!"

He lost control because of the distraction, and with a scream from Katara the rocks came tumbling down toward Aang.

Then, suddenly, they stopped.

Katara opened her eyes, not believing what she saw.

The boulders had halted in midair three inches above Aang's head, which was covered by his arms as he cringed.

"Good job Bartholomew!" Said Sokka.

"What are you talking about, Aang's name isn't Bartholo-" Began Katara, but she stopped when she saw someone else standing behind her brother, and her sudden belief that Aang had been earthbending was proven false.

It was a man, not young, not old, with messy tan hair, and shabby brown clothes. He had his arms extended in front of him, and his bright green eyes were concentrated on the rocks.

With a flick of the fingers, they crashed away from Aang, and Aang let out his breath. "Thanks."

"You're an earthbender?" Asked Katara, eyes widened.

"Yeah his name's Bartholomew. I found him while hunting!"

"Hi," Said Bartholomew, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "But please call me Bear."

"Bear?" Repeated Aang, flying himself over and landing in between the young man and Katara.

"Look what he helped me catch!" said Sokka gleefully, holding up a sack. "There's got to be at least three _pounds_ of salmon in here! Turns out Bear's a great fisher."

"Sokka looked like he... uh… needed some help." Bear said.

Katara studied him for a moment. He appeared about twenty, but time had taken its toll on him. He looked exhausted.

His hair was ruffled, and in contrast to the light color of it, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes were ripped in multiple places.

Katara wondered where he had been, and why he was out in the woods by himself.

"So where are you from?" She asked him, taking the sack of fish from Sokka.

"An earthbending city, called Omashu." He replied while Sokka eyed the sack carefully, as if expecting Katara to damage it in some way.

"Omashu?" Aang said with excitement. "I know that city! Me and my friend Bumi used to play on the express carts there!"

"Play on them?" Bear asked, looking bewildered. "That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that when I was your ag- hey wait… Bumi? As in – King Bumi?"

"Yeah. I knew him back when he was a kid." Aang explained.

Bear looked at the three of them like they were playing a joke on him.

"But how is that poss-"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Sokka explained. "He's the avatar."

Bears entire aura changed from disbelief to surprise. "I'm honored! I knew you would return!"

"Yeah." Said Aang sheepishly. "Took me awhile."

"Well that's fantastic. Now I get to tell all my friends that I saved the avatar from certain injury."

Aang laughed. "Say death, I think it sounds more dramatic."

"Well are you all hungry?" Katara interjected, holding up the sack. "It's almost lunchtime."

"Sure." Said Bear.

By Sokka's look of longing, and the trail of drool dangling from his mouth, Katara took his vote.

They looked at the youngest of them, who shrugged. "I'll be fine with mushrooms." He said.

"Okay."

Katara proceeded to cook lunch.

-

* * *

- 

Zuko woke with a jerky start, and his head hit the top of the shelter rock he was beneath. A searing pain split itself up the back of his head, causing his eyes to water.

What time was it? How long had he slept?

What was the smell of cooked fish doing in the forest?

And unless he was going delirious, he heard voices.

Oh right! The avatar and the peasants.

Shaking off his morning drowsiness and the heat that clouded his mind, Price Zuko sat up and rubbed his face.

Now to plan his attack and capture of the little monk.

But Zuko mentally scolded himself. All he had to do was jump in there and take him, no thought involved. Those waterbenders were no match for him.

But, then again, that girl… _Katara_, was her name… He would never forget after the incident in the clothing shop.

She was a decent waterbender, defeating him the last time he had come so close to taking the avatar.

He had underestimated her one too many times.

But it didn't matter - he would not let that stop him now. Not again. He would not lose.

Zuko curled his hands into fists and stood up.

His right arm hurt from being sprained, but he gritted his jaw and stepped out into the clearing.

-

* * *

- 

"So I came clean, and told him the reason I was imitating him, in his own words 'behaving in impertinent, disrespectful ways that abstracted other students from their learning processes' … I told him the reason I had imitated him was because I wanted to be just like him because he the greatest role model in my life. Which wasn't _really_ the reason at all, but it made him tear up and pardon me from the practical joke I had played on him – free of all punishments!"

Everyone around the fire laughed as Bear finished his story, their stomachs full and their moods bright.

"You were a prankster as a child, Bear!" Katara said, though she couldn't help smiling.

Bear tilted his head toward her in thanks, and set his canteen down after taking a drink.

"Great story, Bear," Aang began. "Now I think we should all –"

But he didn't finish, for all of a sudden a jet of fire shot towards him.

With lightning quick reflexes, he jumped up into the air and deflected it. "What was –"

Another one shot at him, which eh also had to dissolve, before looking up and realizing who it was in front of him.

"Prince Zuko!" He exclaimed.

"Yes." Zuko said lethally, maintaining his fighting stance in spite of the pain. He had appeared near their encampment, about ten feet away.

Immediately Katara, Sokka, and Bear were on their feet.

"How did you get here?' Katara asked, eyes narrowed.

"That's not important." Zuko moved forward, great bunches of fire erupting from his fists with each step.

Aang jumped back once more. "Zuko I don't want to fight you again!" He said loudly.

"Well you're going to have to!"

" - No he won't!"

A stream of rock flew out of nowhere, knocking Zuko off his feet and onto the dirt.

Bear stood across from him, arms raised.

"Bear, no, if he wants me to fight him, I'll fight him. Don't think you have to fight him too!"

"Aang, there's a few things you don't know about me," Bear replied, while Zuko jumped to his feet and fixed him with a look of angry shock.

"Including this."

He took two giant steps forward, the ground shaking beneath him.

Multiple towers of solid granite rose up beside Zuko, forcing him to slide out from between them.

The fight commenced, between firebender, and earthbender.

But Katara wouldn't have it like that. She rushed up beside Bear, adding a waterbender to the fray.

"I see you peasants have found a friend to protect you." Prince Zuko said morbidly, eyes flashing in the light of the new fire he flamed toward them.

All at the same time, Katara pulled water from the lake as a shield, Bear raised a sheet of earth, and Aang blew wind at the fire.

With the strong combination of all the elements, the result exploded in front of them.

Every single one of them flew back, and got hit with bunches of pebbles as the smoke cleared.

"Just leave Zuko – it's three to one!" Katara shouted.

Zuko let out a frustrated yell and continued to move straight towards Aang, never giving up. He didn't care that they were in his way.

A tongue of fire licked out at Bear and Katara, which ended up hitting Katara in the arm.

She let out a cry and fell back towards Sokka, who was watching in alarm while trying to find his boomerang. "Where is it? I set it down before we ate! What did I do with it?"

Katara wasn't listening – she concentrated on the lake and slid a length of water towards her. It was more difficult ten feet away, but still easy enough for her to do quickly. She set her hand on the cut and felt energy seep through it.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Bear were batting it out in the background, and it looked like neither was winning.

Zuko's black clothing had giant rips in it, beneath which were large bleeding gashes. Burns littered Bear's arms and neck. Both looked furious.

In an infuriated move, Zuko spun around and kicked a fireball at Bear, then directly after stood up and continued to pelt him with streams of heat.

"He's going to kill him!" Katara cried, moving forward.

"No - stay there Katara!" Bear said loudly.

"What?"

Was that a yawn? Zuko's face tightened as he watched the boy in front of him, who even seemed no more than a few years older, actually yawn in the middle of the fight.

The earthbender stepped to the side, jerked his arms to the front again and stepped forward.

The ground beneath Zuko rumbled, then jetted upward, lifting the Prince high into the air, and crashing him down in a sickening collapse.

Everything halted.

Katara thought she saw the pile of rocks move a little. She was horrified to think that there was someone underneath them who had just been crushed.

But she thought too soon – the rocks burst out and Zuko emerged with arms in the air, though he looked horribly beat up. There were bruises and cuts all over him, and even Katara saw the way his arm moved funny, as if it were broken.

Bear fell to the ground when one of the rocks from the explosion hit him hard in the chest.

It was Aang's turn to make a move – he helped in the attack while Bear was down by swirling a miniature tornado around and momentarily pinioning Zuko where he stood.

But it was as if being injured had made him stronger, for Bear extended each of his feet, one after the other, with each pedal pushing more and more rocks at Zuko, who was being hit back towards the forest from where he first launched his attack.

Zuko's breath was heavy and tired, he could barely move to the side to avoid all the rock that was flying by him – many grazing his body, inflicting more pain. He was hunched over in exhaust.

Then with a final gush of wind – Aang pushed Prince Zuko back through the trees and out of sight.

Katara winced when she heard a sharp cry of pain erupt through the forest, and could only imagine that he might have been slammed against a solid object, even in his weak state.

He had been so badly defeated… she wondered whether all the other stuff Bear had done was necessary. Zuko had looked awful when he burst himself free of the rock pile…

"Who was that?" Bear asked, looking around at the three of them.

"I found it!" Sokka cried.

"It's a little late Sokka." His sister said sternly. "That was Prince Zuko, the firelord's son. He's been trying to capture Aang relentlessly, and come close to doing just that a few times."

"Why does he want to capture Aang so bad?" Bear inquired.

"Well I know it has something to do with his father, and his duties… but, huh," Katara frowned. "I guess I don't know why he wants to capture Aang that much."

"Aang - Are you okay?" Sokka suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

For Aang was standing next to Bear, staring at him with a wide mouth and eyes the size of tea saucers.

"You're an earthbending _master_!" He exclaimed, slamming a hand to his forehead.

There was a moment's pause, then Katara realized it too, and also stared at Bear.

"Hey, he's right – you must be they way _you_ fought him, I can't believe it!"

Sokka's remotely Sokka-ish expression remained on his face. "Nah, if he was an earthbending master, then why would he be out in the forest on his own."

He turned his gaze to Bear too, and before he knew it, Bear had three people staring at him looking for answers.

"Oh – well –" He scratched his head. "Well for one, Aang's right. I'm one of the young earthbending masters in the guild of Kyuui fighting. Well… a previous member. They banished me from Omashu."

Aang looked like someone had told him Appa and Momo were getting married.

"Why did they banish you!"

"It's… something I'd rather not talk about." He replied uncomfortably.

They continued talking about his earthbending, but Katara wasn't listening anymore.

She was looking into the forest at the spot where Prince Zuko had been pushed into.

What was he going to do? He was so badly injured that she doubted he could even walk.

Maybe it was the natural healer coming out in her, but she didn't feel right about letting Zuko die in the woods… she felt guilty.

But she ignored the unbalanced feeling inside her, forced herself to smile, and continued through the day feeling wrong.

It wasn't until nighttime that she decided to do something about it so the bad feeling would go away.

-

While the boys were sleeping, Katara grabbed two canteens, (one for what she was going to do, one for the attack Zuko might throw at her,) and a blanket, (they had plenty - Aang had made sure of that when they had befriended a shepherd who was deeply honored to have met the avatar and wanted to make sure they weren't cold for the rest of their journey,) and crept into the forest.

_I feel like such an idiot…_she thought to herself. Why was she doing this?

She tried to remember a reason. Then the guilty feeling washed over again and left her depressed.

She didn't want to do this… healing the very person who had tried to kill Aang seemed completely ridiculous.

But she righted herself in her own eyes by remembering they had an earthbending master with them, who didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Not to mention Aang was practically an airbending master, and she was a waterbending master. _And_ they were right by a lake.

What was she worrying about?

She could ease her guilt with no worries, knowing that no matter how determined Prince Zuko was, he could never take Aang as long as Sokka, Bear, and she were around.

Feeling much better about the whole situation, Katara whispered, "Prince Zuko?" hesitantly.

-

He couldn't believe his ears. The waterbending girl was calling his name?  
What on earth did _she_ want? He doubted she was coming to finish him off, she didn't have the willpower.

He had been so badly injured that he was on the ground directly next to the rock he'd slammed into when the avatar forced him into the forest.

There was not enough strength in his bones to lift himself up, so there he lay.

A smudge of blood showed on the rock he hit. He'd been staring at it for hours.

How had he let himself be defeated? _Again_?

The anger that had surged through Prince Zuko all day would not be comprehensible to any person other than him. Complete infuriation.

And after the fiery hate that burned in him for over ten hours had ebbed away, it left him in the most insufferable physical pain he'd ever been through.

He'd been completely smashed in that fight. The shame of defeat surged through him.

He was now up against an airbending master, an earthbending master, and an almost water-bending master. He still refused to believe she beat him fair and square.

"Prince Zuko? If you're there you should say something. I'm here to help you. Even though I don't want to…" Her voice trailed off.

If she didn't want to, then why was she there. How stupid.

He rolled his eyes and remained silent.

Zuko wanted no assistance - he wanted her to leave. She was dishonoring him simply by having the unintelligence to try and help him. He didn't need her help.

Once again she called his name, but this time it was louder.

Prince Zuko's face taughtened - his blue spirit mask was right beside him. If she saw that mask, not only would she know who he was, and the secret would be out, but she would assume that she no longer needed to fear him.

He had to move it.

Zuko's eyes darted down. If only he could move his arms without it hurting so much…

Her footsteps got closer, Zuko decided, and forced his body to shove the mask off underneath the rock. Instantly sharp pained shot through his arm and he let out an involuntary cry that resounded around the trees.

Katara's head whipped around. So he _was_ badly hurt. Her gaze followed a smear of blood along the rock, down to where he lay on the ground, amongst leaves and dirt.

It was worse than she thought… he hadn't even been able to move.

There was silence while they stared at each other – Katara's stare solid, and blank, Zuko staring up at her defiantly.

"Why have you even come here." Zuko said spitefully.

Katara continued to stare at him, but she started to get angry at this sentence. It hadn't even been a question.

"If you'll shelf your pride for two seconds, you'll realize I've come to help you."

She held up her arm, which had the canteens looped over it, and jingled it in front of him.

"I don't want your help." Prince Zuko stated. He looked straight at the sky.

Katara opened her mouth, but had no clue what to say. Was he really that arrogant?

"I can't believe you! You're dying down there! Is this what you do whenever someone offers you help?"

"Believe me," He replied, his voice naturally raspy, and cool. "If I could move right now, I'd be doing differently."

"Yeah, that's all you are." Katara shot back. "Empty threats and anger. So do you want me to heal you or not?"

This was so pointless to answer, he could barely stand it. If he could move right now, he'd get away from this idiocy.

His muscles groaned and his skin ached.

Though Zuko would never admit it – Katara was correct in assuming he would let his self-respect get in the way of anything else.

"No."

Katara gritted her jaw. She was dumb to even go out there.

"Fine. I'm sorry for bothering you." She said as loudly as she dared without waking the boys at the camp. Then she threw the blanket and canteens down, and marched away from him and his spot, vowing never to go back there again.

The blanket had landed right on Zuko's face.

_Stupid waterbending peasant_.


	7. Vous buvez de l'eau! Qui a su!

This chapter kind of poured out of me, and it will be shorter than the last. But keep your hairnet on, it's not for good, the slight shortness.

Now, if you're a smart cookie, you'll catch the meaningful sentence in this chapter, which not only means more than it seems, but will be used in future chapters. So pay close attention. :)

Happy hunting!

(Post Scriptum: Thank you for the nice reviews. They make me so happy.)

-

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"And you pull up a little – that's how I make Zapi the baby rock golem! Or that's how I did it back when I was a kid…"

Aang watched Bear as he earthbended a tiny pile of rocks into a miniature statue of an adorable looking creature, and clapped when he'd finished.

"This is so great – you can teach me earthbending! Can't you?" he added when Bear twiddled his thumbs.

-

It was a few days after the day Bear had arrived, (and the attack of Prince Zuko,) and the four travelers had grown quite accustomed to not only each other, but their glade as well.

Katara used Bear's superb abilities to bend them all two little huts, one for her, and a slightly bigger one for the boys.

However she regretted instantly not splitting them up – they kept her awake at night with various boy-related humor, including loud noises, dumb jokes, raucous laughter, and storytelling.

She made herself a pair of earplugs out of forest leaves and mushroom stems, that she used at night to solve the problem.

Inside her hut, she also had Bear form a mini kitchen, complete with fire stove, and cupboards.

But there was something missing from the kitchen, so the next couple hours of that work day, they had done a fair share of food-collecting.

Bear and Sokka hunted, and Aang and Katara searched for the more vegetarian side of the menu.

Then, after stocking her kitchen full of their bounty, Katara made them dinner, and that was where they were when Bear had shown Aang his artistic flare.

"… Can't you teach me to earthbend?" Aang repeated anxiously.

"I don't pretend to be a great teacher…" Bear replied with a grimace.

"That's ridiculous." Said Katara, taking his and Sokka's plates. "You're excellent. You've already taught Aang to make that… uh… that rock thing."

"The baby rock golem." Bear corrected. "Aang's naturally talented though, it's got nothing to do with me."

"There you go! Aang learns quickly, it doesn't matter how well you teach! Besides, I still think you're going to be an excellent teacher." She saw a hint of embarrassment creep up on his cheeks.

"Well… if Aang wants me to –"

"I do!" Aang insisted, putting his palms together and bowing towards him. "Teach me, Master Bartholomew."

"Bear." He corrected, cheeks flushing a little more. "And okay, I will teach you."

"Yippee!" Cried Aang, jumping up triumphantly. "Now I've got a waterbending master _and_ an earthbending master to learn from!"

"Don't forget about me," Sokka cut in. "If you ever want to be a fighter, you've got a warrior master right here."

"Okay Sokka," Aang said, watching as Momo tugged the piece of fish out of 'the warrior's' hand, and in turn start a tug fight between the two.

"But maybe I should learn from Momo first, he seems to be winning."

Sokka let go and folded his arms. "Fine, you little creature! Go ahead and have it! I wasn't hungry anyways."

"Sokka. You're _always_ hungry." Stated Katara. He ignored her.

"Well, time for bed." Bear yawned suddenly, but Katara had a feeling he was just stopping the argument for Sokka's sake.

The other two boys complained. "Now?"

"Yes." Said Bear. "Aang and I are going to seriously practice tomorrow, and Sokka – well, you have important things to do too."

Sokka glared at him. "You know… if you weren't an earthbending master…"

"Will you tell us some more stories before we go to sleep?" Aang asked.

"Sure."

"But it really is time for bed." Katara interrupted. "Sleep or not – into the hut."

She shooed them all in, and closed the flap of material that served as the door.

It was loud enough inside their hut that they wouldn't notice if she did anything… out of the ordinary.

Finally having some time to herself for the first time all day, Katara began to clean up around the fire pit; and once again her thoughts wandered to the same thing they had before.

The last few times she'd had alone time were also at night while cleaning up, and she'd done nothing but dwell on the horrible guilty feeling she had.

There was a person dying, barely a couple hundred feet away, and she was doing nothing.

It was because he was Zuko. Prince Zuko - a horrible, angry, relentless teenage boy with bad intentions… she was right not to help him.

… Then why did she feel so wrong?

She'd tried telling the guilt to go away, she'd tried ignoring it, and she'd tried everything she could to right herself.

But no matter how stupid a person was – they still had a right to live, whether they wanted to or not!

Then again, her stubbornness had overridden her healer side for two solid days.

But that night, something occurred to Katara.

By not helping him, she realized she was showing the same self-righteousness that Prince Zuko himself flaunted!

She was being no better than him!

And that was _more_ humiliating than being _insulted_ by him.

So, with the new vow to overcome her pride and be the bigger person, Katara decided to go back into the forest and heal the dying Prince. For the good of the cause.

He would just have to deal with it, and that was that.

And, far more vigorously than before, she grabbed some leftover food, another blanket, and stormed back into the forest on the same path she'd taken to get to him before.

As she walked, a nasty possibility passed through her mind.

- What if Prince Zuko had already died?

A wave of panic rushed through her; she sped up her pace a little.

He wouldn't have died… he was too tough for it.

But no, he wasn't _inhuman_… he was still susceptible to death… and he was only sixteen, too.

She approached the rock where he'd been with hesitance, not calling his name this time.

Rounding the corner, she spotted the blood on the rock. Then, her gaze fell down on his body. Was he breathing?

Her eyes focused on his chest – she grimaced at all the cuts and gashes.

"Why did you come back here."

The low, raspy voice caught her by surprise and she actually jumped.

"I said," He repeatedly quietly, "Why did you come back… again…"

"No, Zuko," She said, ignoring his two half-questions. "I've decided you're too stupid to realize you need help, and I'm going to be the more mature one, and heal you - despite your arrogant, prideful beliefs that you're just fine, all battered up and bruising as you die in the forest on the ground. And death is not worth your dignity."

There was a long pause.

Did she just call him stupid? And say she was more mature? He scowled.

"Go away," He said disgustedly.

"No," She replied, moving forward and kneeling beside him. This had to be done.

She noticed the two canteens and the blanket she'd left were untouched, though the blanket had a singe hole in it.

"If you touch me –" He snarled.

"Just be quiet!" She shouted at him. For a second, she wondered whether the boys back at glade had heard her – but after a few more moments of nothing, the wonder disappeared.

"I'll do it quickly, and leave. After all, there's no way you can take Aang when Bear and I are protecting him. Even he himself could beat you, like he's done before."

Zuko's expression darkened. "Just because I underestimated him before does not mean he can beat me again! I've been trained solidly for two _years_, and I am more than ready. If you think a mere child can defeat me, you're wrong…"

He hated the fact that he was… what was the word… he didn't like to say it, but in the current situation, he was immobile, and therefore helpless.

She should just go back. That's what he deeply wanted. Why didn't she just _leave_…?

Katara pretended she didn't hear him. She wasn't there to listen to him shpeal her with his anger issues – she was there to make sure he didn't die, and leave.

Pulling one of the canteens toward her, she thought of how stupid this was to do when a she faced a dilemma.

To heal she needed to place her hands on the person… in this case Zuko.

Giving an inward shudder, Katara opened the cap.

"Now, do yourself a favor, and don't move." She said tonelessly.

Not like he had a choice.

If it didn't hurt like hell, he would've moved as much as he possibly could.

But to avoid the scraping pain all over his body, he was agile as a log would be in a race.

Katara bended the water into a glistening, swirling glove around her hand. With the other, she pulled back his ripped shirt and slid the water hand onto the scraped skin.

It was much less horrible than she expected… in fact it was pleasantly alright. Not like touching a warlord would be, or a monster, or a really old, wrinkly man. It was just normal.

She closed her eyes and allowed energy to be transferred through her arm, into her hand, and down through his skin.

Suddenly her focus was broken when Zuko's words swished through the silence like an angry knife. His chest moved up and down under her hand.

"Why are you not listening to me." Underlying frustration laced his voice. "I told you to leave."

"Yes, and I'm not listening." She replied simply. "But don't worry; I'm not doing it because I like you or anything."

Prince Zuko stared straight at the sky.

Who knew the girl could be nearly as sarcastic as he was spiteful.

But, this could be used to his advantage, the fact that she was healing him.

Fully healed, he could show them how much his training would come into play, when he took the avatar at night.

They would be sleeping. _And_ he would go as the Blue Spirit!

That way even if they spotted him they wouldn't know who he was.

He had been so lost in thought that when he was drawn back to earth, he realized she'd almost finished healing him. He cursed himself for being quiet. The last thing he would be was compliant.

She opened the unused canteen and placed it in his hand.

"Drink that."

"I don't need your charity." He spat.

"Prince Zuko," She said, pausing for a second to stare harshly at him. He glared back, waiting in irritation for her to speak.

She blinked once, then said, "Even firebenders need water to survive."

His golden eyes narrowed at her with the quizzical defiance they usually held.

"I know that," He said blatantly.

"Good, then drink that, and eat this. You were so arrogant when you denied my help, you haven't eaten in days."

"I don't need to." He said, wishing even more that she would just go. "I've learned to survive without things that most need to survive."

Katara shook her head, not believing how stuffed up one could be.

"You really need to get over yourself." She said.

"What!"

Wait, why was he still laying there?

The instant he'd realized this, he stood up. So did Katara.

Stiffness hung in the air between them.

Katara noticed they'd both balled their fists, and quickly loosened hers, but kept her face set.

"Are you expecting some kind of thank you?" He demanded. His body felt all tingly and new.

"It would be very gentleman-like of you!" She said back.

"Well you're crazy! - I didn't even want your help!"

Katara began to wonder why she kept expecting him to be better. She settled for grabbing her canteens, and walking off, purposefully leaving both the blanket and Zuko behind.

And Katara was satisfied knowing she'd saved someone from death, even if she did hate him.

Her guilt had taken a permanent vacation – she'd eased it for good this time.

-

Back at glade, and in her hut, she dropped the canteens and fell into her bed. (Another byproduct of Bear, though it had been made from wood and rope, thankfully not of rock.)

But her process of rest was interrupted by Sokka.

"Katara are you in there?"

She looked at the door and groaned. "Yes."

"About time!" The flap flew open. "Where did you go? Bear's hurt!"

"What? How?" She said quickly, ignoring his first question.

"He's been hiding it ever since the fight with Zuko –"

Katara rushed past Sokka and into the boys hut.

"Where is it, Bear…"

Bear was propped up in a sitting position with his back to the wall, a blanket over him. He shook his head.

"Aang and Sokka are overreacting – it's nothing."

Katara pulled back the blanket and almost fainted. A giant scabbed wound the size of her largest cooking pan covered a good part of his chest.

"Look, Bear, I know you're modest and humble and everything, but this is serious! Why didn't you say anything? Sokka can you grab me my canteen immediately?"

He'd already had it in his hand – she took it from him and opened it as fast as she could.

For some reason, while she was bending the water into a glove again, she looked at the differences in the chest of Bear and the chest of Zuko, one slightly more chiseled than the other. Bear was in shape, but Zuko's chest had harsher, sharper features on him than the one in front of her.

She rested her hand on his chest and did the same she'd done to Zuko – though she knew he would appreciate it a little more than Prince Pretentious had.

When she took her hand away, she was surprised to see that the wound had gone, but there was a light pink scar still there.

"Well that left a mark." Bear noted, running his own hand over it. "But thank you for healing me."

"No," Katara said distractedly, focusing on his chest. "I mean you're welcome, but I think I can get rid of that too…"

She pressed firmer and concentrated as hard as she could, more energy leaving her to absorb into him.

It felt like a current of electricity shooting through her veins down her fingertips, and the skin underneath curdled.

It got extremely fleshy, then she felt the hardness of his bone, and suddenly nothing out of the ordinary. She heard Bear inhale sharply.

This time, when she moved her hand, his skin was completely normal again.

"Wow Katara, I didn't know you could do that." Sokka said.

"Neither did I." She admitted.

"Well –" Her brother replied, stretching. "Not to be rude or anything, but we were having a good story-telling lie down before you interrupted us."

"I didn't interrupt – never mind." She was too exhausted to argue with her brother, who'd flopped back down onto the bed.

Before she left the tent she noticed Aang had been in the corner with a blanket over him, watching silently. He remained silent, not looking her in the eye, until she went to her hut out of his sight.

In her bed, Katara rolled over and wondered about the days events.

What was wrong with Aang, how she suddenly had the power to heal scars, whether Zuko would attack again or not…

She wouldn't put it past him, but she hoped he wouldn't. And not because of the fighting, either. That part was almost easy.

But because Katara wished he would stop being such an idiot. Men were frustrating… but Zuko was infuriating. Selfish and mislead by whoever raised him.

-

Across the way, Zuko had had a struggling battle with himself ever since Katara had left.

Not only was he fuming from the insults she'd thrown at him which he hadn't gotten back at her for, but he had the choice to use the blankets she left, or not use them.

One was warm, yet humiliating, the other satisfying and cold. But which would he give in to?

Deciding that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he accepted help from a peasant who was his enemy, Zuko kicked the blankets off to the side and laid down on the ground.

Tomorrow night, when they weren't expecting it, he would launch his sneak attack…


	8. Entraînement

Bah! I'm struggling with having twists and living up to my name, but keeping them realistic.

I have to avoid this becoming a soap-opera. :)

And just to warn you, I didn't proof-check this or anything because I'm leaving for the weekend in fifteen minutes and HAD to get this up before I left.

Don't eat me alive with spelling errors, or simple wording mistakes that have to do with the story please. I would have hoped that by now my fans had grown fond enough of me to realize everyone's human. :-)

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* * *

-

"AIIIIIII!"

Sokka threw the blankets off him and screamed.

"What's going on?"

Beat slept soundly in the corner, but Aang woke up that instant.

"AHHHHH!" After dancing around his blankets, the flap of the door swooshed, and Sokka was out.

"Sokka, what's wron-" Aang's eyes widened.

"BEAR! GET OUT OF THERE! COME ON!"

Bear rolled over and yawned. He was a sound sleeper. So sound, he didn't realize that even if Sokka and Aang had flown out of the hut, he was not alone inside it.

"BEAR! GETOUTNOW!" Came the calling of both boys voices at scrambled times. "They'll eat you!

Bear's eyes squinted open a little. Why weren't they quiet? It was too early in the morning for games.

"I'm going to kill y-…" His voice broke off, when he saw that he was face-to-face with a yellow-eyed, dark-furred creature… hissing at him.

Bear let out a howl loud enough to wake the whole forest, and clambered as fast as he could up to his feet.

But there was another one by the door!

Sokka and Aang got nervous when it went quiet inside the hut.

"Is he okay?" Aang whispered.

"I think they got him…" Sokka replied.

"NO!" yelled Aang, running forward.

Suddenly they heard a sharp whine, and a stream of rock blasted out of the flap, taking Aang and the animal, (formerly inside the hut) with it.

Bear jumped out, brushing himself all over.

"The other one's still in there." He said, looking a little wild; Sokka heard a growling noise come from the hut. "Rooting through our blankets. I think he may be looking for another one of us to eat."

Aang yelled, causing both of them to whirl around towards the noise.

The furry creature that had been propelled from the tent had attached itself to his head, and was clinging to the monk.

"Get it off, get it off!" He danced around, trying to pull the animal away without being bitten.

Finally, Katara had had enough.

What were those boys doing? She'd been having a good dream.

"I'm going to kill whoever's making that – Aang!" She dropped the wooden spoon she'd been holding above her head as she dashed out of her hut.

"Oh no!"

Rushing forward and snatching a canteen, Katara bended the water inside, and soon the creature was on the ground, limping away.

"Do you guys always need someone watching you?" She sighed, turning to Bear and Sokka.

"What did you want me to do – bend rocks onto his head?" Bear said back, raising his arms. "That would've killed the animal alright… and him!"

"It's called a stick." Katara said, marching over to the side wall of her hut and picking one off the ground. "Whack! Off goes Mr.Fuzzy."

"And in goes the stick, through the skull Mr.Fuzzy was attached to." Bear raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah! Forgive _him_ for not knowing where every stick in the encampment is!" Sokka put in.

Katara rubbed her face and realized her hair was out of its braid.

"You guys are just… babies..." She said in a breath, finally waking up. "But we're a little cranky. I'll make us breakfast, then we can have decent conversations."

And so she did. Soon eggs and seasoned wheat were sizzling on her fire stove.

Though outside, Sokka couldn't resist cooking his much need meat, so salmon was added to the menu.

After breakfast, Katara Bear and Aang had a meeting, and all decided that it was high time for training.

-

* * *

-

Before he knew it, it had been a long morning already_…_

Aang could've gone down for a ten hour nap by lunchtime.

His two bending masters were working him much harder than he thought they would, considering it was _two_ elements he was trying to learn at the same time.

He kept mixing up the energy-seeping, slow movements of waterbending, to the scaly, rigid, granite-like movements of bending earth.

So confused was the twelve year-old, that when Katara asked him to bend a strong waterfall over the cliff, he sent a steady stream of pebbles off instead.

"Alright Aang," Katara sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We can take a break now. I guess it is a lot to handle."

"No!" Aang replied quickly, "You know how important it is for me to learn all the elements by the end of the summer! We just have to… to…"

"Try harder?" She said, shaking her head.

"No, just –" Aang bit his lip and thought for a second. "Maybe we could try teaching me one element at a time, instead of both together. That way it'd be less confusing."

"That sounds much better." Katara replied.

She saw Bear approach them holding a big boulder above him, a quizzical look on his face.

"We're going to either teach him waterbending or earthbending first." She explained.

The confusion dropped, and he nodded. "Okay. I can see how that would be easier. Then which one first?"

"Um…" Aang looked from one to the other, clearly not wanting to offend.

"We don't know how long Bear will be with us," Katara said. "So why don't you take advantage of his skills while he's here?"

Bear smiled. "Even though I doubt I'll be going anywhere, anytime soon."

"And I'll always be with you," Smiled Katara, looking at Aang. "So Bear should teach you earthbending first."

Even though his shoulders sagged in disappointment at losing his waterbending teacher temporarily, Aang's face brightened. "This is going to be way easier! I think I'll learn faster than I ever have before!"

"No time for happiness," Bear said, mock-serious. "Time only for hard work!"

Aang straightened up and saluted. "Where do we begin?"

"I think we can try wandering off a bit, this lake area is only good for the easiest earthbending, but you need more of a challenge. So we're going to go down there, Katara," He said, pointing to the land below the waterfall.

"You'll be able to see us, okay?"

Katara nodded, but soon realized that Bear was grinning at her. He was teasing!

"You don't have to stay somewhere I'll be able to see you," She said quickly. "I'm not your mother or anything…"

Bear flashed her a smile that she liked much better than the previous one.

"I'm just playing. But yeah, that's still where we're going to be."

"Oh, okay!" Katara said, waving goodbye to them and going back to their encampment.

Sokka was sitting Indian-style beside the fire, twisted up with leather pieces, apparently trying to make himself a fishing spear.

"Come on…" He muttered through a strap he held, one end in his mouth, the other between his toes.

Katara looked around the encampment slowly.  
What was she supposed to do now?

She was no longer teaching Aang waterbending, at least not for awhile, so what next?

She found herself unneeded at that moment, and it was to say the least, a dumb feeling.

The encampment was looking a little shabby… she could tidy it up.

Or she could practice her own waterbending! Yeah!

Who was she kidding. Being honest with herself, Katara knew she was bored.

So she decided to 'keep busy': the always-antidote to boredom.

For the next forty-five minutes, Katara cleaned around Sokka, tidied, organized, and spruced up around Sokka, and put her hand on her hip, and tapped her foot around Sokka when he refused to move.

"I'm right here. And you can do whatever you're doing, just like you've _been_ doing, and go around me." He said solidly, folding his arms.

"Sokka, you're being useless!" She shouted.

"Is there anything you actually _need_ me to do?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well… no." She replied. But after a moment, she spoke again, ignoring the groan from Sokka. "Actually yes. You can use those skills of yours to make me a broom."

"Skills? Skills hate me." He said, scowling at the abandoned leather straps and wood he'd been trying to turn into a spear.

"So kiss and make up, because I have to sweep away the leaves."

"You don't actually _have_ to." Her brother retorted, getting up anyways. "You just don't have anything to do."

He was right, but she didn't have to convince him anymore, because he trudged off into the forest, mumbling.

Katara sort of wandered around aimlessly for a bit, but she didn't think Sokka would be back anytime soon, so she made herself a snack and sat down in the sun to watch Aang and Bear practice.

They were far enough down the hill that she couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but she could see them both fine.

Bear was shouting something encouraging at Aang, who was chewing his lip and focusing straight ahead while suspending a boulder above himself.

He continued to hold it still; it looked like Bear was trying to either teach him to hold the rock steady, or teach him patience… and it looked like extremely hard work.

Aang's arms wobbled, he tried to keep it up, but no longer would his body stay focused, and he threw the rock down, panting.

Bear shook his head. Katara saw him sweep the boulder above himself, saying something.

He had the body of a young earthbender… extremely toned, slightly harsh features.

He'd obviously been in the rays of the sun often; there wasn't a pale spot on his body. It was all smooth, and baked by the sun, for a tan, creamy complexion.

This characteristic made his hair seem almost contrary to the color of his skin, for it was a light brown blonde, kissed by the sun itself, and hugged by the wind, to give it its everlasting messiness.

While his arms were raised, he lectured Aang, moving back and forth to make an unknown point. Katara continued to study him.

His shoulders were a broad half-circle, the line from them narrowing down through his legs. This tone came from the very thing he was doing at the moment – bending all that heavy earth around him.

His face was harsh and soft at the same time. Katara wondered how that was possible, but when she looked closer she realized that his face was soft, but there was strength behind his sparkling forest eyes.

Katara stopped and looked closer at those eyes…

They had joy in life, a look that laughed in the face of danger, but cautiously… and amidst the spark, there was an emotion she couldn't identify.

Even as he was teaching Aang, that hidden emotion remained, as if it were there permanently.

Come to think of it, he _did_ always have that look in his eyes. She then pondered whether there was something Bear was hiding. Whether it was her job to figure it out or not.

So contradicting was he. Katara got the idea that Bear was someone who never did the same thing twice… never got boring.

She'd finished her food – Katara stood up and went into her hut. For the first time that day she remembered Prince Zuko was still in the woods. Wasn't he?

She couldn't imagine him leaving, he had too much determination.

Determination practically oozed from every part of Zuko – especially _his_ eyes.

So what was he going to do?

"Okay here," Sokka said, interrupting her thoughts. An arm stuffed itself through the doorway. It held a mismatched, scraggly-looking broom.

Katara doubted it had taken him longer than two minutes.

"I was actually going to make it better, but then I got sidetracked trying to fish like Bear, and by the time I'd finished I realized you would probably want your broom, so I hurried up, and –"

" - It's fine Sokka," she said. While her brother had gabbled on, she'd figured out what she wanted to do next.

"Would you mind helping me with something?"

"Depends on what it is," He said, stretching.

"I need to practice my waterbending, a certain move,"

"Oh no." He said warily. "I've heard that before. And right after, something bad happens to me."

"But Sokka," She continued. "Something bad is always happening to you."

Sokka couldn't argue. "Good point. I still don't trust you though."

"It's a small waterbending move I have to practice," Katara said, sticking out her bottom lip in mock-pleading. She sometimes did this to her brother to annoy him into doing something. "And I need someone to practice with…"

"You mean you need someone to practice _on_…" Sokka grumbled. "A guinea pig to test with…"

-

Minutes later, he sighed and raised his arms in the air hopelessly. "Why do I continue to let you do this to me?"

"Just hold still." She ordered, breathing through her nose and concentrating on the water beside him. "Pretend you're attacking me."

Sokka slowly charged after her half-heartedly, growling with as much enthusiasm as a dead log would have.

She raised her eyebrow. "Can't you do better than that?"

"Hey, I didn't even volunteer!"

"Just run at me!"

So Sokka did. As he was running, Katara spun around, pulled her arms forward, clapping her hands together, and a giant v-shaped blast of water opened up from the lake, flying into the air and freezing directly over his body, trapping him mid-run under a tee-pee-looking ice block.

"Very nice." Sokka stated tonelessly, pressing his back against the top to try and break free. She bended it back into water and it fell off him.

"Now I'm freezing!" He shivered, clutching his arms. "Funny how that always happens when you practice with me!"

Katara put her hand to her mouth and suppressed a laugh – Sokka's ponytail had frozen solid again.

-

* * *

-

That night, Bear and Aang didn't come back until ten minutes after Katara and Sokka had already eaten dinner.

Thankfully, Katara had been smart and left them out some food before she went to bed, so when they came into camp they had a lukewarm meal waiting.

"Finally," Aang said wearily, shoving a couple seasoned wheats into his mouth and flopping down onto one of the log benches they'd rolled in when they first made the encampment. "That was the hardest day of training I've ever had."

"You did excellent."

"Thanks." The avatar smiled in return, ready to fall asleep right there.

"Seriously, I've never seen someone with so much raw talent." Bear continued, placing his hands together and staring at the fire. "You really work hard at this. You're passionate."

"I have to be," Aang said slowly. "I have to learn so much by the end of the summer… I have to do this. It's my job. I'm the avatar, and I have to restore peace."

"Peace." Bear repeated, almost laughing under his breath. "Never lived in it, in all my nineteen years of life. Never experienced that… and I dream of it all the time. Sometimes you really just have to put your fantasies aside though, and focus on the task at hand, like you're doing."

"Sometimes I really wish this wasn't happening to me…" Aang confessed, staring straight at the sky. "I'm only twelve years old still."

"You may be twelve, but you are strong in so many ways." Said Bear. "I've already seen it so much, and I've been with you what, five days?"

Aang laughed a little and ate another piece of wheat. "I'm really glad you found us, Bear. Or actually _Master_ Bear!"

"No, just, Bear…" He replied, an odd expression on his face. "Time for bed though, tomorrow you're going to pull rock from the earth. An especially difficult thing to do in earthbending."

"Okay," Aang replied with a sigh, trudging into the hut. "Goodnight, Bear."

"Good night Aang."

The avatar was long asleep by the time Bartholomew returned to the hut, and even then, he didn't fall asleep, but chose to lay there and run around in his memories.

-

* * *

-

General Iroh was having difficulty. Where was his favorite mug?

Ginseng tea was not the same without that mug, all other teas he could stand in different cups, but not his favorite.

He bent over, looking under the sink in the kitchen; his large belly nearly brushed the surface of the floor.

"Need assistance, General Iroh?" Said a voice from behind him. One of the cabin boys who helped in the kitchen with the main cooks was looking at him quizzically.

"I seem to have misplaced my favorite tea cup," The elderly man explained, tapping his chin with a finger. "I had used it yesterday, but that was only for orange pekoe, and the tea tasted terrible in that cup. I will only use it for ginseng from now on… if I find it, that is!"

He grinned at the boy, who raised his eyebrow and nodded a little strangely. "Well I can help you find it, I'm on break…"

"What is your name, young one?" Iroh asked him, continuing to walk around the kitchen, absentmindedly searching.

"Shoushin." The boy replied.

"Yes, Shoushin, I think I will require your, assistance. Why don't you try checking my nephews' room? I may have left it in there when I was worrying about him."

"Worrying about him?" Shoushin asked. "You don't seem worried…"

Uncle Iroh sighed. "One never shows the anguish they feel inside, if one does not wish others to see it."

He turned around and faced the boy. "I know my nephew will be safe, for he is very dedicated and strong, but that does not help my worrying for my family. And Zuko is like a son to me. I will continue to fear for him… just in case."

Then, just like that, the solemn expression his face once vanished, and he ushered Shoushin to the stairs brightly. "Now let us see if we can find that mug."

* * *


End file.
